Paradigm
by PersonaJXT
Summary: When the Kyuubi attacked, the Yondaime Hokagein a moment of creative genius, decided to seal the demon into two vessels. However, as talented as he was, he was only human and prone to mistakes... Now Naruto lives with a voice in his head. WIP
1. Prologue

**Paradigm**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto or any of its affiliated trademarks._

A/N: Posting this with the first chapter. I actually wrote this more than a year ago, and it's definitely gone through a lot of changes since then. Since it's a prologue, I kept it short, a measly seven pages. Most of my thoughts will be in the first chapter, so be sure to read that.

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Prologue

The Yondaime Hokage was in a quandary. To truly realize the depth of his problems, you'd have to understand that he was a most talented ninja, capable of taking down numerous enemy ninja without much trouble. Extremely talented, he had graduated from Ninja Academy at an early age, and had quickly risen through the ranks to become the youngest Hokage ever. Not that there were really that many, mind you, four not being an overly large number. But it was still quite an accomplishment.

The Stone ninja feared him greatly. Even after the war was over, the order to retreat from him on sight still stood. Entire patrol routes were remade, just to keep their ninja away from him. It didn't stop the foolish and adventure seeking from trying their luck, but at least it kept most of their ninja capable of utilizing brain matter from dying meaningless deaths.

Lauded as a ninja with the greatest talent ever seen in Konoha, he knew a vast variety of skills. He was capable of wielding a vast variety of jutsu, from the basics, to the superfluously powerful, to the esoteric. His skills in cooking were described as deliciously gourmet, and he had learned a number of other house making skills such as sewing and decorating. His skills were widely ranged, something which earned him respect from those around him.

More importantly though, was his ability with seals. It had started as a side project set for him by his teacher, Jiraiya, but had quickly evolved from the simple basics, to much beyond that. This had led to his infamous Hiraishin technique, which he became infamous for. It had also led to his developing the Shiki Fuin, something he thought – he hoped – he would never have to use.

But here he was, contemplating its usage. And on his own son, nonetheless. To think that one as talented as he was would have to fall back on what was the equivalent of a suicide technique. And because his intended target was the Kyubi, a great nine tailed fox demon that was rampaging on the outskirts of Konoha, it would also involve the sacrifice of a baby's life.

Not in the sense that the baby would die. No, as desperate as he was, killing an innocent was something he'd never do. The Shiki Fuin would seal the great demon into his son, leaving it trapped there, its chakra slowly bleeding into the child's own. If all went according to plan, then by the time his son was an old man, the Kyubi would no longer have even half its strength.

The sacrifice of the baby's life came in a different sense. The Yondaime was no fool, and though he adored the village he had grown up in, he knew they would never fully accept his son if he went through with this. They would remember him as the great demonic beast that had destroyed many families. It was quite possible he'd even be killed before the seal could settle, releasing the Kyubi to terrorize the world again.

But what choice did he have? If he did not do this, hundreds more of his people would die. Was not the sacrifice of one child worth the prevention of those deaths? It all made sense in his head, the pros outweighed the cons. As the sworn leader and protector of his village, it was his duty to lay down his life in its defense. But still he hesitated. Perhaps it was because the baby was his own flesh and blood. Maybe it was due to his wife's recent death at child birth. Whatever the case, he was having doubts in his course of action.

The acrid smell of smoke met his nose, and he fought down the twitching it brought. Beautiful pale red colored the horizon, not looking at all like the destructive fire that caused it. It was irony, that such a horrible thing caused by the Kyubi could create such an exquisite mosaic in the sky. And it reminded him that every second he dawdled was at the cost of the lives of his ninjas.

"I've made up my mind," the Yondaime said with resolve. "I'll use the Shiki Fuin on the Kyubi. My son will be the sacrifice."

Behind him, his predecessor the Sandaime Hokage frowned. "Are you sure about this, Minato? Our ninja can still buy us more time. Jiraiya is expected to arrive in a few days. It is still possible to find another solution, one that does not need you to forfeit so much."

The Yondaime turned weary blue eyes to the old Sandaime, a resigned smile on his tired face. "And tell me, Professor. How many of those ninja will die in the time we wait? And what for, some possible miracle solution to this mess that may not even exist? Waiting is not something we can afford."

"But losing you is not something we can afford either," the Sandaime pleaded, "Konohagakure cannot lose half its standing forces and it's Hokage in the same day! It would be devastating."

"You are still here, Sarutobi. If you are still here, I am willing to part with my mortal body. Your hands are safe."

"My hands are old." The Sandaime lifted a wrinkled hand up and said, "I am aging, I am no longer the person I used to be. If I were to be made Hokage once again, it would not be for the best. We need someone new, someone young. Someone to carry on the Will of Fire. We need _you_, Minato. Allow me to perform the sealing."

The Yondaime snorted disparagingly, and turned fully to Sandaime so that the glow of the fire silhouetted his windblown, blonde hair. "There will be no one left to need me if we just sit here with our hands on our asses," he said. "And you are nowhere near fast enough to do this. As I said, I've already made up my mind. There's nothing more you can say to sway me."

Sighing, Sarutobi looked away. "Very well. I shall look after the village in your absence. I only hope that this isn't a mistake."

"You will stay here," Yondaime stated. The Sandaime looked to protest, but a halting hand stopped him. "If you are to lead this village, you will have to be whole and safe. Something impossible if you're dead. More importantly… if I were to fail... If the sealing of Kyubi goes wrong, you will be needed."

At this, the Sandaime Hokage nodded grimly. He understood what it was like to face the Kyubi, having fought it when it had first approached. The terror of the overwhelming chakra was something he would never forget. It was very much in the realms of possibility that Yondaime would die before he sealed the demon.

The old former Hokage heard the rustle of Minato's robes as the Yondaime turned to leave, but kept his gaze downwards so as to not let the younger Hokage see the tears in his eyes.

"Take care of my son for me, Sarutobi."

"Good luck, Namikaze Minato."

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Gathering his will, Minato bundled his son into his arms and used a transportation technique, Shunshin, to carry him halfway across the village, to where he expected to find his ninja mustering whatever defense they could manage. It hadn't been that long since he had left them after all.

However, what met his eyes was a massacre that left him in shock. Clumsily set up tents were crushed into the earth, and fire raged at the edges of what had once been a camp of capable ninjas. Discarded bodies lay strewn about, many missing limbs that could possibly be found in one of the gory messes. Even with his many years of battle, Yondaime Hokage had to fight down the bile that struggled to rise in his throat.

Filled with regret, Minato lifelessly stumbled forward, looking for a sigh that anyone had survived. Fire raged around him, but he ignored it. Even when a stray flame caught alight his Hokage cape, he merely let it slip off his shoulders. Yuki, the kunoichi he had left in charge, where was she? Surely she would be able to tell him what had happened. Was everyone stationed here dead? Was that why no one had come to inform him of the camp's destruction?

A small wail caught his attention, and alertness returned to his eyes. Using his speed, the Yondaime dashed towards the sound. It came from a baby, swaddled in delicate cloth. A woman with long black hair was hunched over the child in a protective fashion, her back broken against a tree. Blood pooled at her feet, even as the baby continued to cry. Sorrow filled Minato as he bent down to pick the baby up with the arm that wasn't holding his own son. The woman was obviously the baby's caretaker, perhaps the mother or a hired nanny.

As he easily lifted the baby into his arms, the woman he previously thought to be dead suddenly grabbed his wrist. Surprised, he was barely able to stop himself from reflexively beheading her. She gasped out in a raspy voice, blood trailing down from the corner of her mouth. "W-Wait…" She looked up at him, a great feat of willpower considering the state of her body. "The… the girl… h-her… name…" she gasped out. "Rei…Reimi."

Minato waited patiently as the woman coughed blood. He could see now that she had somehow broken her spine against the tree, and her head was the only part of her she could still move. Experience told him that her lungs were beginning to give out, causing her great pain to talk. But she kept trying to form words with her disfigured mouth. And though the Yondaime knew that he wouldn't be in this world for much longer, he would at least allow the woman to depart with the notion someone had heard her final words.

"Girl is… please… Kyubi… too-… f-for….. Revenge…!"

Suddenly the woman began coughing violently, blood flooding out of her mouth. Minato moved to help her, even knowing that there was nothing he could do. It was only a little while later that the old woman's body went still. She was dead.

Minato stood for a moment, not sure what to make of the woman's last request. If what he interpreted was correct, than the woman wanted him to train the baby girl Reimi for revenge against the Kyubi? That… was odd for a last request. He was expecting it to have been something along the lines of 'Take care of her for me', or 'Please find her shelter', but this was quite different.

He took a closer look at the dead woman. She was garbed in a kimono that was obviously of high quality, which meant she probably came from money. Was she somehow related to a rich merchant, perhaps? He knew most of the major nobles, so he knew she wasn't one of those, but was it possible she came from a minor noble family?

Then he noticed a kunai holster hidden beneath the folds of the woman's kimono. Yondaime frowned as another possibility came to mind. The woman could be from a ninja clan, one of some repute if her fine clothing was anything to go by. He was familiar with all the ninja in Konoha, something he took some pride in, so he knew she was not from his village. Did she come from another village? If so, then why? As an enemy spy? A refugee? A fugitive? Some defector perhaps?? Whatever her plans were, it was obvious it hadn't involved running into the Kyubi.

Now it seemed that the woman wanted her daughter, if that's who the baby was, to be trained to exact vengeance on the entity that had caused this? He had seen vengeful people, but nothing compared to this. How was he going to take care of her anyways, if he was planning his own death in the very near future? If the baby had not been entrusted to him as someone's last request, he wouldn't be thinking so much on it at such an important time. Not only that, he did not know where his ninja had retreated to, and he still had worries about the Shiki Fuin, which was technically only theoretical work. And even if it worked, how would his son fare? Though he was sure the Kyubi would protect its host physically, he wondered whether his son would be able to handle the mental and emotional abuse. If only there was some way to solve all this.

Then inspiration hit him, he _could_ solve all his problems! One of the primary concerns he had with the Shiki Fuin was its capability to completely seal the Kyubi into one thing. But if he modified it so it was split into two objects, than the Kyubi itself would be split! Not only that, but it would also fulfill the woman's request for vengeance as well! The baby could also become a companion to his own son, one who could serve as a buffer against mean hearted adults.

Minato's eyebrows furrowed as he made the necessary modifications to the jutsu in his mind. It was no simple feat, but for one so experienced with seals such as him, it was possible. He ignored the urge to recheck his work again, though he knew he should. There was too little time. Gathering both babies into his arms, he quickly went up a tree, perching himself on the highest branch.

From his high vantage point, he could easily see the trail of destruction the Kyubi left in its wake. The sheer amount of power the nine tailed beast wielded was hard to imagine, even with the sight of acres of upturned forest in front of him. The babies in his arms began to cry, protesting against their rough treatment and the acrid smoke in the air.

Minato looked down on the two, his son swaddled in a bright orange blanket, and Reimi in a jet black one, and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry. If I had a choice, I wouldn't do this. Especially to ones as young as you two. However, I've been left with little options, and this will end the suffering of my village."

The babies in his arms calmed slightly as he spoke to them, and he looked into the blue eyes of his son. "Naruto, I am sorry to have you bear this burden. If I could bear this burden myself, I would, but that is not possible. And for that, I deeply apologize. However, I know that you'll be able to overcome this obstacle. You are my son, and I love you." He turned and looked at the other baby.

"To you, Reimi, I apologize even more. I do not know why you are here, nor do I know where you're from. Perhaps it was fate that brought you to me, I do not know. However, I ask you to share this burden with my son. I cannot fathom what kind of life you two will live, but it is my hope you will support each other in whatever you endeavor."

His hands quickly formed seals in quick succession. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" There was a giant puff of smoke, before it cleared to reveal a giant red toad with a short sword sheathed at its side. It turned one scarred eye to Minato.

"Eh?" it grunted out in a low, guttural voice. "Minato? What did you call me out here for?"

"Gamabunta," Yondaime said as he hopped onto the great toad's head. "I'm performing _that_ jutsu on the Kyubi. Buy me time till I can get a clear shot at it."

The enormous toad turned its great head downwards. "Hmmph. I see, so that is your choice." Gamabunta drew his sword from its sheath. "Very well then, I shall assist you, as I promised I would."

The loud sound of the Kyubi's enraged cries roared through the burning forest, causing the flames to bend away momentarily. The blonde Hokage stood fearlessly atop Gamabunta, bravely looking towards the giant beast as it wreaked a path towards him. He gave a bitter smile. "Heh, it seems that my death is nearing, and here I am talking to babies, who can't even understand me, and some oversized frog. What a sight I must make."

"Here it comes!" warned Gamabunta.

The Yondaime Hokage began gathering chakra to perform the Shiki Fuin, his eyes never leaving the much larger ones of the Kyubi. He pasted a cocksure grin onto his face, his hands wrapped around his charges to form a hand seal. "Come, beast! I, Namikaze Minato, will show you Konoha's Will of Fire!"

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Sandaime Hokage watched as the Kyubi rushed at the familiar toad summon of the Yondaime. The two monolithic beasts were easy to see, even from such a distance, and the earth shook whenever they clashed. But it was obvious that the Kyubi was the stronger of the two, as it slowly pushed its foe back with its vicious attacks.

Then there was a sudden flare of chakra signaling the usage of some powerfully overwhelming jutsu, and then a momentary flare of light that barely lasted a second. And then, there was nothing. The giant summoned creature and the Kyubi were gone. Where they had been causing untold destruction to the land, there was only a long section of dug out land. The silence was deafening in comparison to the caucus their fight was causing earlier.

In a way, Sarutobi mused in a far corner of his mind, the end of the Kyubi's mighty rampage was anti-climactic. He didn't know what he was expecting exactly, but somehow it felt empty. Then he shook his head, dwelling on such thoughts wouldn't be good. He made a few subtle signals with his hands, summoning his personal ANBU guard to him A few more, and they immediately left to where the Kyubi had disappeared.

Sandaime slowly donned his old Hokage robes, face grim. "I promised you, Minato. I promised I would protect Konoha in your stead. Though I'm still wary of whether you made the correct decision, I shall abide by it."

Placing the last of the traditional dress of the Hokage, the hat, onto his head, Sarutobi formed the seals for the Shunshin. In a swirl of leaves, he disappeared from his tower, and reappeared at the site of the Yondaime's fight with the Kyubi.

The area was desolate, the Kyubi's massive power having incinerated every tree it had come near. The ground was burned a shiny black, and a sense of foreboding still lingered in the area. Fire still burned around it, reddish lights reflecting off the reflective earth.

But for now, Sarutobi and his ANBU team had more pressing matters than the condition of the land. In the center of the destruction wrapped in orange blankets lay Uzumaki Naruto, the legacy of the Yondaime Hokage, crying loudly. Instantly, Sarutobi was at the baby's side, picking him up gently.

As Sarutobi fussed with Naruto, no one noticed the black blanket that had disappeared. Nobody questioned why it wasn't there, as no one knew it was supposed to be there. The name, Reimi, sewn into one corner of the blanket, was not seen. And when the Sarutobi and his entourage left so they could inform Konoha's people of what had taken place, they would do so without knowing there was supposed to be another child there.


	2. Beginnings

**Paradigm**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto or any of its affiliated trademarks._

A/N:

Yeah, this is my third attempt at fanfiction. It's been quite a while since my first one, which ended after my laptop crashed three times and my redrafted plot became too convoluted. My second one ended because I lost interest in it after two chapters, resulting in its deletion. I'd like to think I've come a long ways since I first decided to try writing, but I still suck so…

Anyways, this piece of work is as much an experiment as it is a serious attempt at authoring. I actually rewrote this first chapter three times (I still have the previous two drafts, both over 50 pages), so don't be surprised if you see things repeated or missed, as it's probably something I copy/pasted or rewrote. Some techniques I've tried may or may not work very well, but I tried them here nonetheless. Updates will probably be few and far between, mostly depending on my mood for writing. Chapters will average about sixty pages in length according to MS word. Hopefully this'll be enjoyable.

Just a short warning, for those concerned. The first few chapters will be rather OC heavy, as the first story arc takes place before canon and I don't want to mess with that too much. After that though, most of the OC's take a big step back and their appearances are more cameo than anything else. So, yeah.

PS: Anyone wanna tell me how to get the scene separators to work? I'm resorting to ugly ones here since my favored ones don't work…

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Chapter 1

An eight year old Naruto sat in a classroom full of students, a frown on his face. They were taking a test, the final one of the year. One he had studied hard for, sacrificing all of spare time for. He had looked the study guide over more times than he could count. He had even read alternate study materials to make sure he knew everything forwards and backwards. He knew everything that was supposed to be on the test. Or so he had thought.

_I haven't learned any of this stuff yet! This is like Chuunin level stuff or something!_

None of the questions had anything to do with what had been taught in class. They had barely begun teaching the basic functions of chakra, and one of the questions asked for an exact calculation of chakra consumption for a technique he didn't even know yet! Even though he had studied ahead, he was at a loss.

Looking around, he saw that the other students didn't seem to be having any trouble. _They probably gave me a harder test again…_

He looked back down at his own test, groaned. The teachers at the Ninja Academy didn't like him, much like the rest of the adults in Konoha. He didn't understand why this was so, but accepted it as just the way things were. Nevertheless, when they did something like this, he couldn't help but wish for better treatment.

_'…I can help, Naruto. I read about these last month.'_

His hand suddenly started moving by itself, writing answers to questions he had no clue about. "Thanks Reimi," he whispered quietly.

_'…you're welcome.'_

"I'm surprised you read about this stuff though. It's like you knew what was on the test."

_'I'm good at guessing.'_

"I'll bet. You were sneaking around school again, weren't you?"

"No talking during the test," the teacher at the front of the room called, his eyes looking for the perpetrator. Naruto looked down so their eyes wouldn't meet, his hand still moving under Reimi's control.

For as long as he could remember, Reimi had been a presence in the back of his mind. Someone he could talk to whenever he wanted. He didn't know where she came from, but was grateful that she was there nonetheless.

Before he knew it he had finished the test. Standing up, he walked the test up to the front of the room, where he gave it to an angry looking teacher.

The upset man glanced at the test irritably. "Very well," he said reluctantly, a sour look on his face. "You can go, brat."

Naruto ignored the man's heated glare and left the room. _Screw you too. Probably your fault the test was so hard._

"Well," he said aloud, walking down hallway. "What should I do for the rest of the day? Now that the test is done, I'm free until the practical test tomorrow!"

'…_the library?'_

Naruto pouted. "You always want to go to the library. Even if it's you that wants to, I'm the one that still has to read you know!"

'_But the library has books…'_

"Of course the library has books! I mean, it's the library! Besides, we already went there last week. And the week before. Choose something else."

'…_the book store?'_

Feeling a headache coming on, Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You know what, I just finished a test. I deserve a treat! We're going for ramen! No complaints!"

'…_but I did the test.'_

"Don't sweat the details!" Naruto said laughingly as he started walking.

'…_idiot.'_

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They arrived at a ramen stall called Ichiraku just as the last customers of the afternoon rush were leaving. Sitting himself down in his usual spot, Naruto turned a beaming smile at the old chef.

"One miso ramen please!"

The old chef, Teuchi, looked up and smiled back. "Ah, Naruto-kun! One miso ramen coming right up!" He quickly ladled noodles and soup into a bowl, throwing in toppings and other flavorings. "Here, one miso ramen! I put in an extra egg as service!"

"Thanks!" Naruto took the bowl and all but inhaled the noodles. "Man, the ramen here is the best! I can't imagine eating anywhere else! Another serving, Teuchi-san!"

_'But… this is the only place that will sell ramen to you…'_

"Shut up…"

"What?" Teuchi asked as he dumped ramen into another bowl.

"Ah! Uh… nothing, I was just talking to myself."

_'…idiot.'_

The old chef looked curiously at Naruto, before shrugging to himself and continuing to add ingredient into the ramen bowl. "Hmm, that's right. You told me you were taking the second part of that test today! So? How did it go?"

"It went okay. I think they gave me harder questions again, but I'm pretty sure I passed."

"Congratulations are in order then!" Teuchi placed the bowl of steaming ramen in front of Naruto. "This one's on the house!"

"Wow, really? Thanks!" Naruto eagerly started into the free bowl of ramen.

'_As always… you eat fast.'_

Naruto slurped down ramen. "Another bowl please!"

_'Don't eat too much… We'll run out of money again…'_

"Aw, c'mon! Just a few more?" Naruto pleaded even as he received a new bowl of ramen..

_'…our finances are bad this month.'_

"Please…?"

_'…library after the meal.'_

"Deal!"

Naruto finished another bowl. "One more please!"

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"Aw, don't complain too much, Reimi! I brought you here to the library, didn't I?"

_'…thirty bowls of ramen.'_

"I was hungry!"

_'…all that money.'_

"It wasn't that much! Well… okay it was, but c'mon! It's so good!"

_'…they're going to shut off our electricity again.'_

"We can make do! I mean, it'll only be two weeks before we get our monthly stipend!"

_'…we'll be low on food this month.'_

"Well, we have all that instant ramen stored away…"

_'…we won't have enough money for any books.'_

"Uh… I'll wait till next month to buy new kunai? C'mon, cut me a break here! It's not like it's the first time I used that much money, and we're fine aren't we?"

_'Still…'_

"Tell you what, we'll read one more book than usual today, and don't ever talk about this again. Deal?"

_'…fine. But it's going to be a big one.'_

Naruto grinned. "You're always easy to deal with, you like books too much!"

_'…idiot.'_

Walking over to a shelf, Naruto stared at the long rows of thick books. "One more than usual is… nine…" The blonde boy groaned. "I hate reading… Well, which ones do you want?"

He went up and down the rows, his face growing gloomier with each book Reimi chose. Each book was thick and heavy, and he already dreaded reading them all. "Why me…"

_'…reading is good for you.'_

"My ass it is. More like my brain's gonna turn to mush with all this reading. Seriously, you read way too much."

He walked up to the checkout counter and set his pile of books down. "I'd like these books please, Rhea-san."

The teenaged girl on the other side of the desk looked up from her book, brushing long black bangs out of her brown eyes. She smiled brilliantly when she saw who it was. "Oh hey, Naruto-chan! You're here for more books?"

"Uh, yeah I guess."

Rhea Bastion and her family had moved to Konoha a few years ago, and she had taken a job at the library out of her love for books. She was a very nice girl that greeted everyone with a bright smile. Naruto was very thankful she had come, because the previous librarian had been a crabby old lady that never let him into the library.

"You always check out so many books," Rhea commented as she scanned the barcodes on the books. "You must like reading a lot!"

"Er… something like that." _Well, not me but…_

"Oh, hey! I read this book before!" exclaimed Rhea, holding up a physics book. "It had this really interesting section on pneumatics! You'll have to tell me what you think about it after you're done!"

"Uh… yeah…"

Bagging the books, Rhea handed them over to Naruto with a smile. "Well, have fun reading! I hope you drop by again sometime soon, Naruto-chan!"

Waving goodbye to Rhea, Naruto hefted the bag of books onto his back and left the library. The afternoon sun beat down heavily on him, causing drops of sweat to dot his forehead.

"Ugh, I'm gonna drop these off at home. No way I'm carrying them around all day. You okay with that, Reimi?"

_'Sure, go ahead.'_

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A man wearing the green vest and white porcelain mask – the shape of a weasel – of an ANBU stood at the top of a roof, looking down on Naruto. Two other similarly dressed people, another man and a woman, stood next to him.

"So that's Uzumaki-kun?" the first one asked.

The other man nodded his hawk masked head. "Yes, the one with the white shirt and black pants. Uzumaki Naruto, age eight. Born October 10th. Blood type B, an orphan. He-"

"Oh shush, Shisui-kun," the rabbit masked woman interrupted, "we know you know a lot. There's no need to show off."

"Shiho-sempai! I'm not showing off! I'm merely stating information that's relevant to the mission!"

"We all read the same mission report," Shiho said with a shake of her head, causing her long blonde hair to cascade about her back. "There's nothing you know that we need, or want to hear."

"Hey! That was just plain uncalled for, Shiho-sempai!" Shisui complained. "Really, I was just trying to be of use!"

"That's enough, Shisui, Shiho," the first man said quietly. "We're on a mission, save your squabbles for your free time." When he saw the two had quieted, he continued. "Shisui, what are your thoughts on the boy."

Shisui brought a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, I don't know about his combat ability, but his test scores are an oddity. He consistently scores averagely on most tests. But when his instructors are… less than fair regarding the difficulty, his scores suddenly jump. I'm of the impression that he's hiding his true abilities, meaning the reports we received from the Academy are likely to be incorrect. The higher level tests the office has sent his way have returned with about the same results."

"I see. And what about you, Shiho? What do you think of Uzumaki-kun?"

"Well, disregarding his test scores, he just seems like a normal kid to me. A bit rowdy, and likes studying a bit too much, but other than that he's just a kid. Reminds me of my nephew a bit actually. Of course, it was his test scores that caught the attention of the higher ups, so who knows what he's actually is capable of."

The first man made a thoughtful sound, still looking down at Naruto as the blonde haired bow made his way through the streets below. "I will observe Uzumaki-kun for a little longer. Find the other Early ANBU Placement candidates, and review them. I will need the reports tonight."

"Understood," Shisui said, before vanishing with a puff of smoke.

Shiho gave a smart salute. "Of course, Itachi-taichou. And after this, maybe we can go have a drink?" She gave a flirtatious wink and smile before also disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Uchiha Itachi watched as Naruto stopped in his steps and looked around. The ANBU captain cocked his head in interest. _He noticed…? This ludicrous assignment may bear fruit after all._

When Naruto's searching eyes finally found its way to where Itachi stood, the man was no longer there.

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"I'm –WHAM- telling you –WHAM-, someone –WHAM- was there!-WHAM-" Naruto insisted as he pounded a well beaten wooden post with his legs. He was in a training area set aside specifically for ninjas to use – a wide area of land surrounded by forest. "It's just –WHAM- he wasn't there –WHAM- when –WHAM- I looked!"

_'I didn't see anyone.'_

"Like –WHAM- I said! –WHAM- It was just –WHAM- a feeling –WHAM- I got!"

Naruto sat heavily onto the ground, panting to catch his breath. "Whew. Dragging your books all the way home really took it out of me. Usually doing this much training doesn't make me so tired."

_'…think of it as extra training.'_

"I'm already doing extra training everyday! What do you think this is!" Naruto pointed at the wooden log with all of its dents and bruises.

_'…think of it as extra training on top of extra training?'_

"Reimi, you're great and all, but sometimes, you really suck…"

_'…thanks?'_

"……it wasn't a compliment."

Naruto remained on the ground for a few more moments before getting up. "Well, I think I've done enough muscle training for the day. Let's move onto chakra exercises!"

He gathered leaves, sticking them all to his left hand with chakra. The process grew harder and harder as he added more leaves, until he had a small pile attached to his hand. Sweat dripping down his neck, he suddenly threw them into the air, the leaves falling about him like a green veil. Then with another motion, all the leaves flew back to his hand, all before touching the ground. He breathed out, relaxing tense shoulders.

_'You missed a few.'_

"I know, I know," Naruto grumbled. "Getting the chakra through every leaf is hard, especially when you get past the twentieth leaf. Losing just a few is pretty good! It's called an advanced chakra exercise for a reason you know."

_'The point of the exercise is to do it faultlessly.'_

"Eh, whatever, I'm just getting warmed up."

Naruto grabbed a few more leaves and added them into the pile still in his hand. Concentrating, he threw them again into the air. This time the amount of leaves he lost was only one. "Hah! See? I'm getting better already!"

_'…congratulations.'_

"Heh, thanks," Naruto grinned confidently. "It was kinda slow though. Gotta work at the speed some more!"

_'…does that mean more training?'_

"Got it right in one!" said Naruto, getting ready to repeat the exercise. "For the rest of the day if I have to!"

_'I hope this doesn't cut into my reading time…'_

**LineSkipHere**

Naruto trudged into his apartment wearily, holding his right hand painfully by the wrist. Not even bothering to turn on the lights, he headed straight for his bed and flopped down.

"Sooooo sleeeepy!" he moaned pitiably. "And my hand freaking hurts too!"

_'You overdid training again…'_

"I didn't overdo anything!"

_'…yes you did.'_

"No way! I mean, yeah I hurt more than usual but that doesn't mean anything!"

_'…your hand is swollen and bleeding onto the bed sheets.'_

"What?!" Naruto cried, sitting up too quickly and hurting his hand. "Ow ow ow ow!" He looked down at the drops of red on his bed. _Crap, those were just washed!_

_'See?'_

"Yeah okay, so maybe I pushed myself a little harder than usual. I'll be fine in the morning anyways!"

_'Just because you don't have to worry about healing like other people doesn't mean you can be reckless…'_

"I'm not being reckless!"

He felt Reimi's disbelief flood his mind.

"…okay, maybe a little. But not that much! Really!"

_'…in all the time I've known you, have you been anything less than reckless? How many times have I had to restrain your excesses? Remember last year when you wanted to 'paint' the clothing store's interior orange?'_

"That was a long time ago! And it would've served them right for trying to overcharge me that much! You can't tell me you didn't want to get some payback!"

_'Still…'_

"Besides, who was it that wanted to flood that guy's house?"

_'…he wouldn't sell us those books.'_

"And you call me reckless."

_'…fine, you win. Get some rest, it's my turn.'_

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Naruto lay back onto the bed and closed his eyes. "Goodnight, Reimi." His breathing slowed and evened out, gradually becoming softer as he fell asleep. And then, in the darkness of his room, Naruto's body began to change.

The boy's short spiked hair grew in length, its color darkening from a bright blonde to a pitch dark black. Limbs stretched and shortened as muscles contracted and expanded. His slightly tanned skin paled, and lost its calluses. The white shirt and black pants he wore faded into his body, replaced by a long white kimono. On a corner of the clothing was a small black patch that had the name 'Reimi' stitched into it.

The changed person's eyes opened, revealing wide brown orbs instead of blue. Getting up, the girl got out of the bed, her long hair spilling to her ankles like a black curtain. Walking over to the desk in the corner, she turned on the lamp, before taking one of the books from the library and cracking it open.

"Goodnight, Naruto."

**LineSkipHere**

The earliest rays of sunshine were just beginning to shine through the closed curtains when Reimi felt Naruto stirring in her mind. She flipped a page in her book while she waited for him to fully awaken.

_'Morning, Reimi,'_ Naruto greeted her sleepily. _'You were reading all night again?'_

"Good morning Naruto. I managed to get through three books. I also cleaned the sheets you dirtied." Reimi glanced over at the bed so Naruto could see the clean white sheets.

_'Eh, you didn't have to, you know. It's not like we really use it for anything.'_

"…being clean is very important."

_'Well, if you think so. What's for breakfast?'_

Reimi stood, placing a bookmark in her book before shutting it. "Instant ramen."

_'What, you're not cooking today?'_

"It's your fault, remember? We'll have to make do with what we have until next month. And that means no ingredients for cooking."

_'Awww, that sucks. You make really delicious ramen!'_

"Instant ramen tastes the same."

_'No way! Instant ramen is nowhere as good as yours! Yours is the best'_

"Don't flatter me. I still won't make ramen."

_'C'mon, please?'_

"No."

_'Pretty please?'_

"Don't be childish."

_'But I am a kid! C'mon, I've got the physical part of the test today too, so I need energy!'_

"…fine. But we won't have anything left afterwards." _I give in too easily… I need to be more strict…_

Walking over to the small kitchen, Reimi set about making the noodles, while Naruto waited with patient anticipation. Before too much time had passed, Reimi finished cooking. She set the bowl on the table carefully so as not to spill any.

"The broth is freshly made, so I can't make any guarantees on the taste, but…"

_'Yay, Reimi's ramen!'_

Reimi's body suddenly stiffened, and a moment later it had transformed back into Naruto's.

"Ramen, ramen, ramen!" Naruto sang as he dug into the bowl of noodles.

_'…give me more warning next time you change.'_

"Sorry about that, I'll be more careful next time! What time is it anyways?" Naruto glanced at the clock, and almost choked. "What the- It's already this late?! Crap, I've gotta get going!"

Shoveling the remainder of the ramen into his mouth, Naruto quickly gulped down the soup and threw it into the sink. "How did it get so late without me noticing!"

_'I- I'm sorry, I should've paid more attention…'_

"No time to talk, gotta run!"

Rushing out the door, Naruto jumped off the balcony of his second floor apartment. Even before he had fully landed on the nearby rooftop he was already pumping his legs so fast that he almost tripped.

_'…don't go too fast, you'll fall.'_

"Can't worry… about that… now!" Naruto panted out between breaths as he leaped over a gap between houses. _Won't let them fail me for being late!_

**LineSkipHere**

It was just before the bell rang that Naruto dashed into the classroom, surprising most of the students with his sudden entrance. "Made it!"

"Naruto."

"Uh, yes?" Naruto answered hesitantly, looking up at the angry face of the teacher. _Crap, am I gonna get kicked out anyways?_

"Take a seat."

"Uh, okay?" _He didn't kick me out? Why? He's always looking for an excuse to get mad at me!_

Taking his seat, Naruto glanced around the room, and spotted an ANBU with a weasel mask standing in a corner.

_'…I wonder why an ANBU is here?'_

"I dunno…" Naruto muttered quietly.

The teacher stood at the front of the room. "Okay class. As you know today is the final portion of the exam. I hope all of you've practiced, because this is it!"

_Don't exaggerate; it's just a basic end of the year test. There isn't even a pass or fail as long as you try!_

"I'll call you up one at a time, in alphabetical particular order. You'll be taken to a separate room where you'll be asked to perform several tasks. When you're done, you can leave if you want to. Or you can stick around to wait for your friends. Just as long as you don't come back into this room. We can't have you telling everyone what the test was about after all!

"Let's see, first up… Asakawa, Ryoko, please follow me."

A blonde girl stood up and followed the teacher out of the room. The rest of the students began chattering amongst themselves almost as soon as the door closed. Naruto though, sat quietly in his seat, more interested in the ANBU. He propped his cheek against his hand, using his palm to hide away his mouth's movement.

"Hey Reimi, that ANBU, you think he's here for some special reason? Like maybe they think this place is gonna get attacked or something."

'…_I don't think so. If this place were threatened, they wouldn't allow kids to even be here.'_

"Yeah, you're right. It looks like he's waiting for something though. Or maybe watching something – I can't tell where his eyes are looking with that mask. What do you think?"

'…_he makes me feel uncomfortable.'_

The door opened and the teacher stepped in again. "Ayumu, Makoto?"

A boy stood and followed the teacher out.

"How hard do you think the test is anyways?" Naruto asked. "I mean, I know you can't really fail it but, maybe they'll rig it again or something?"

'…_maybe, but you can handle it. You're much better than everyone else here, after all. You'll do fine.'_

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I somehow doubt it's gonna be a piece of cake."

Naruto sat in silence as he waited for his turn to come up. Slowly, one by one, the rest of the class was called. And as the number of people in the room shrank, it became more and more quiet. Before long, and hour had passed and there were only a few people left in the room.

One of them, a brown haired girl with a light blue backpack, sidled up next to Naruto. She wore a white jacket over a plain, light green one piece. She cast a furtive look around before leaning closer to the blonde boy's ear.

"Psst, hey. You're Naruto, right?"

He glanced over, her voice disturbing him from his mind's wanderings. "Huh? Oh, yeah."

"Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Yes… you need something?"

"I just wanted to make sure." The girl took a moment to glance quickly at the ANBU. "I'm Kamino Suzumi. Have you noticed?"

"Uh, noticed what?"

"The names, Uzumaki-san!" Suzumi hissed. "They skipped us, and probably some of the others too!"

"What do you mean?"

Suzumi breathed out, exasperated. "They're going alphabetically but they skipped us!"

The door opened, and Suzumi almost jumped backwards into her seat. "Yawaki Nozu," the teacher called, and the student stood and left the room.

'_They're almost done… she's right, they skipped us.'_

"See, that's weird, isn't it? And then there's that ANBU too…"

"The ANBU…?"

"What, don't tell me you didn't notice, Uzumaki-san?"

"Yeah but, you know something about him?"

Suzumi looked around before leaning in again. "He's really suspicious!"

Naruto stared at the girl. _Well, duh!_

"No, you don't get it!" Suzumi shook her head. "I know that ANBU, my grandfather works with them sometimes and I've seen that one. He's really, really important!"

'_She knows that ANBU…? What does her grandfather do?'_

"If he's so important, then why is he here?"

"Exactly my point!"

"…okay, I see what you mean. But why are you telling me this?"

"Well, you're strong, right? I've got a good eye for that type of stuff, and I can tell you're holding back a lot when we do sparring exercises."

'…_she can tell?'_

"Y-You can tell?"

Suzumi snorted. "Of course I can tell, my family specializes in that kind of stuff. I couldn't call myself a Kamino if you fooled me, though I do have to admit you're pretty good at acting."

"…I see." _This person… she's not a normal genin._

"And more importantly," Suzumi continued, an embarrassed look coming over her face, "your name was the only one I could remember, cause all the adults keep saying mean things about you. I mean, it's like they hate you or something. Why is that anyways? You do something bad to them?"

"Uh, I…"

Naruto was saved from having to answer when the door opened once more, and the teacher called, "Yoruga Kuruzo." The boy stood and followed the teacher out. When the door shut again, the ANBU stood up, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"Everyone left, follow me."

"But what about the exam?" A boy wearing sunglasses asked.

"Your test will be administered at a separate location. Come."

Suzumi looked nervously at Naruto, not following the other remaining students as they shuffled out the door. "Uh, you think we should go?"

"Should we?" Naruto repeated her question.

Hands suddenly clasped down on Naruto's and Suzumi's shoulders. They looked up, and saw the ANBU looming over him.

"Come."

'…_it doesn't look like you have a choice.'_

"Crap," Naruto remarked as he was forced along with the ANBU.

Next to him, Suzumi nodded. "Exactly."

**LineSkipHere**

Suzumi stood behind Naruto at the back of the room they had been taken to, looking around at the small group of people gathered within. Children ranging from their age, eight, to older ones up to their teenaged years, all stood about in the room. A group of four ANBU's were at the front of the room, ignoring everyone as they discussed something amongst themselves.

_This is definitely not the normal exam…_ "Hey Uzumaki-san," she whispered to the boy. "I'm going to try something to find out what's going on. Tell me if someone comes."

Naruto nodded and moved so his body hid Suzumi's form. The brown haired girl reached behind her into her backpack and pulled out a slip of white paper. She quickly folded it with deft hands, making a small paper crane. Then she brought her hands together and formed different shapes with them – hand seals – and brought the folded crane to her lips and blew softly.

"Kamino-ryu Hijutsu: Kami no Kokyuu!"

The crane suddenly came alive, moving its paper wings as it left Suzumi's palm and took to the air. Silently it flew over the heads of the unaware people and soared to where the ANBU were. It slowly circled overhead, maintaining its height.

"…that's an interesting jutsu."

_'…yes, very. It shouldn't be possible at all… A bloodline technique?'_

Suzumi had her eyes closed in concentration, her hands together in a chakra focusing hand seal. "They're talking about… a test," she mumbled absently. "They're waiting for someone… I can't quiet hear… Its… the test is for…"

"You should stop that, you know," someone said from behind. Both Naruto and Suzumi started, and turned around quickly. It was a darkly dressed older boy with messy black hair. He stood casually, with his hands in his loose pants pockets. He pulled one loose and firmly pried Suzumi's hands apart, breaking her hand seal. "They're ANBU for a reason you know."

The paper crane stopped, its source of movement cut off. A moment later, a silent kunai pinned it into the ceiling. A second later, both the kunai and the paper crane were gone. The ANBU continued talking as if nothing had happened.

Naruto stared at the boy. _I didn't even sense him!_

_'He's fast…'_

"Thanks… I think," Suzumi said. "Who're you?"

"Me?" The older boy seemed to hesitate before answering. "I'm Uchiha Souju, age thirteen. Genin. And you should be thankful. If you got caught here, it wouldn't matter who or why you were. ANBU don't take kindly to spying inside their headquarters."

"This is the ANBU headquarters?" Naruto blurted out, surprise plain on his face. "How did we end up here? We didn't even leave the school building!"

"Maybe genjutsu?" Suzumi asked.

"Heh, the girl's got it right; the ANBU got you all in their illusions," Souju smirked. "Not surprising you didn't notice, they've got some top notch genjutsu users."

"But… why the heck are we in the ANBU headquarters?" questioned Naruto.

The older boy rubbed the bottom of his chin thoughtfully. "I'm not too sure about that, but it's most likely we got chosen."

"Chosen?"

Souju nodded. "For ANBU placement."

"We're going to be ANBU?!" Suzumi asked incredulously.

"Well, no. You're gonna get tested, and if you pass, then maybe."

"But aren't ANBU supposed to be really strong and stuff?"

"Well, kinda. Most are Chuunin level, and the top ones are Jounin. They're strong, but not really all that much stronger than other ninja. Just that they get special jobs and stuff. Besides, this isn't the ANBU test. It's the early placement test for academy students and some Genin. Those that are too good to be wasted on regular training, if you will. If you pass, you'll get sent for special training and stuff."

An anxious look came over Suzumi's face. "And, uh… what if we don't pass?"

Souju shrugged. "Nothing much really. They tell you not to say anything to anyone not involved, and make you sign some papers. Probably have a few people watch you for a while too, so you don't go blabbing all over."

"I see…" Naruto murmured.

Any chance for further conversation disappeared when the door opened and a bear masked ANBU walked in, a white hooded cloak covering his body. The other ANBU stood until he gave them a small nod. There seemed to be some unseen communication between them, before the other ANBU disappeared in puffs of smoke, leaving the white cloaked on left in the room.

"Everyone form up in groups of three. When you've done so, leave them room." The ANBU then turned around and left.

The noise level rose in the room as confused kids slowly began forming groups. Suzumi and Naruto looked at each other, then at Souju.

"Uh, so I guess we're a group?" Suzumi spoke.

"Of course," smirked Souju. "Why did you think I approached you two anyways?"

Naruto bristled. "You knew this was gonna happen? How?"

Shrugging, Souju answered, "This isn't my first time taking this test. It's my second."

"Why us?"

"The rest of the guys are way too weak. I dunno how strong you two are, but you can't be any worse than they are." Souju looked over at the door where some people were already exiting. "C'mon, we should go. It's not good to be the last ones."

Suzumi looked distrustfully at the older boy, but followed him as he left the room. Reaching into her backpack, she pulled some paper out and carefully hid them into her jacket, using its white fabric as camouflage. She met Naruto's eyes, and then nodded.

We_ won't trust this guy, but we'll go along for now._

**LineSkipHere**

The moment they stepped out of the room, they were in a forest. Birds chirped around them and alarmed animals ran for shelter. Startled, Naruto took a step backwards. "What the…"

"Genjutsu again?" Suzumi brought her hands together in a hand seal. "Kai!"

"Dispelling won't work. This isn't genjutsu. Trust me, I'd know if it was," Souju said.

"Why's that?" Suzumi asked.

Souju turned around, his normally grey eyes a bright red with two black marks within.

"Oh, Sharingan… Of course, Uchiha."

"Shirley Gun? Who's Shirley Gun?" asked Naruto, looking confused.

_'…idiot.'_

"Sharingan, not… what you said, Uzumaki-san," Suzumi explained. "It's doujutsu, a special genetic ability of the eye that allows the user to see through genjutsu. The Sharingan in particular has the ability to copy jutsus, and place it's victims in genjutsu."

Souju glanced at Suzumi. "You know more than most would. I didn't catch your name."

"I'm Kamino Suzumi, and he's Uzumaki Naruto."

"Kamino…? That explains it then. And Naruto-san...?" Souju smirked. _The two I chose are a lot more interesting than I thought…_

Naruto looked around. "So, uh… what are we supposed to do?"

Kneeling down, Souju took a pinch of soil in his fingers. "Judging by the earth, we're likely still within Konoha. They've probably prepared an obstacle for us here, and we're supposed to overcome it."

"And what kind of obstacle is it, Uchiha-san?" Suzumi asked.

"Got me, I dunno. This is different from last time."

Naruto suddenly snapped his to the side as if seeing something far off. "Shit, everybody down!"

All three of them threw themselves to the ground just in time to avoid being beheaded by a massive fireball. The intense heat of the flames scorched the trees as it passed, and the explosion resulting from its impact into the ground destroyed a large portion of the forest.

"What the heck was that?!" Naruto yelled. "That thing almost killed me! What kind of test is this?"

Souju scanned the trees, his Sharingan active. "I don't see anything, there's nothing there."

"Well, something had to have done that! Look again!" Suzumi demanded even as she glanced about warily.

_'Naruto, we've been here too long…'_

"Hey guys," Naruto spoke. "We should move. If they know we're here, then we should move."

Suzumi nodded. "Right, let's go."

They jumped up into the trees, using the branches as footing as they quickly traveled away. Their escape was cut short though, when another fireball came flying at them, followed by two more in rapid succession. They scattered to avoid them, only to be thrown away by the explosions as the fireballs impacted.

Naruto barely managed to land himself on the side of a tree, using chakra to stick himself to it. "Shit, where is everyone!"

_'Something's coming.'_

Whirling to his left, Naruto was relieved to see it was someone he knew. "Suzumi, you're alright!"

"Yeah, mostly," she said, pointing to her hair. The ends of it were burnt black, and looked a bit frayed as it lay limply against her shoulders. "Managed to dodge most of it, but not completely."

"Well, as long as you're alive. Where's Souju?"

"I don't know, I lost him in the whole mess."

"Shit, gotta look for him then." Naruto turned away as he scanned the forest for the older boy. Behind him, Suzumi suddenly pulled a kunai out and stabbed him from behind.

"Shouldn't have let your guard down," Suzumi sneered. "Always wanted to kill you, demon brat."

Naruto looked behind himself at the girl, a disbelieving look on his face. "Suzumi… why?"

"Because I'm not Kamino Suzumi." In a puff of smoke, the illusion of Suzumi was replaced by an ANBU with a salamander mask.

"Heh, henge…" Naruto coughed up blood. "…then I won't feel bad for this."

Suddenly Naruto's body exploded, sending the ANBU to the ground with a painful thud. Disoriented, the ANBU tried to stand, but a foot on his head forced him back down. Looking up, the ANBU was surprised to see an unhurt Naruto standing there, a cocky grin on his face.

"Bang," the blonde boy said. "I love explosive tags. Can't believe you're stupid enough to fall for a simple kawarimi, and you don't feel a thing like Suzumi at all. She's a lot softer than you are. I guess Souju was right when he said not all ANBU are strong."

The ANBU suddenly pushed away with a burst of strength, pushing Naruto off him. Naruto tried to force him down again, but had to retreat back when a barrage of kunai was sent at him. A moment later, the ANBU was gone.

"Damnit, he's fast!"

_'…shouldn't have underestimated him.'_

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

Suzumi and Souju jumped down from the trees, landing next to Naruto. "You alright, Uzumaki-san?" Suzumi asked.

"I think I am," Naruto said, checking himself over. "I had a run in with a fake you. Er, you guys are uh, you guys, right?"

"As far as I can tell," Suzumi said amusedly.

Souju nodded. "It's her. Henge is nothing before the Sharingan."

"Right, I hurt the guy pretty bad, so at least he's out of the way. Dunno if he's the only one that was here though."

"Exactly," Suzumi agreed. "We should keep our guard up until we're out of here."

"Where is out, anyways?" Naruto glanced around the surrounding forest. "I mean, we've got no idea how deep, or where in the forest we are."

Suzumi winked. "Leave that to me." She pulled paper out of her backpack and laid it onto the ground. She formed a few hand seals and then placed her hands onto the paper. "Kamino-ryu Hijutsu: Chizu Kasei!"

The paper reacted, wrinkles forming it as if it were rapidly aging. Parts of it began to change colors, while some parts rose up and others deepened. Slowly, a recognizable map appeared on the formerly blank paper.

"I guess it's true what they say about the Kamino clan," Souju commented, his Sharingan eyes staring at the paper. "Kami ga aru nara Kami ni naru."

"Huh?"

"It means, Naruto-san," Souju clarified, "that as long as they have paper, they are as gods."

"Gods?"

Suzumi snorted. "Don't listen to him, he's exaggerating. We can do a lot with paper, but it's still quite limited. Besides, we're nothing when compared to the Uchiha clan and their Sharingan."

"A power greater than a god's?" _Seriously?!_

_'The Sharingan… good thing it's on our side.'_

"Okay, I think I got it." Suzumi stood, rolling the map up and placing it into her jacket. "We should be just south of Konoha, if we head north we'll be there in just a bit."

"They'll expect that," said Souju. "We should head east first, then north. We're probably being timed on this, so that level of subterfuge will have to do."

The cry of a hawk sounded in the air, and a flock of birds flew out of the forest to the clouds. Some wildlife moved about, rustling the foliage as they sought shelter. The three kids looked at each other, before moving into the trees once again.

**LineSkipHere**

"Watch out!" Naruto yelled as he jumped backwards to another branch to dodge a rain of shuriken. He sported several minor wounds, and his shoulder had a severe gash in it.

"Got it!" Suzumi pulled paper from her backpack and threw it in front of her. "Kami Bogyou no jutsu!" The paper froze in the air, forming a temporary wall that repelled the shuriken that came a moment later. A few pierced through though, and she winced as they sank into her body. She retreated to where Naruto stood, eyes darting about for more traps as she pulled the kunai out. "There's so many of them!"

"We walked right into a trap!" On another nearby branch, Souju used his kunai to deflect more projectiles. He had no wounds, but was panting with exertion "The test is much harder than I remember. There were no traps last time, and definitely nobody attacking us. It's like they're trying to kill us."

_'Naruto… do you think maybe…?'_

"They wouldn't try to kill us," Naruto said, "at least, not with you two here, I don't think."

Souju shot a curious look at Naruto, but had to suddenly move to avoid being cut in half by the wire that sliced the branch he stood on. The razor thin object made several more passes, which Souju managed to dodge. The torn apart branch he stood on however faired less well, and it fell apart, forcing Souju to find shelter on another branch.

"Keep moving, you two!" Souju yelled. "Don't give them a stationary target! The faster we're out of here, the sooner we're safe, so come on!"

"Easier said than done," grumbled Suzumi. "Can't even take a step without tripping some trap. They're really overdoing it for a test."

Another hail of shuriken came down at the younger two of the trio, and they scrambled to get out of the way in time. A net snagged Suzumi from behind, catching her unawares. A quick slice with her paper cut her loose, and she retreated in time to avoid being skewered by a jagged wooden spike.

Naruto gritted his teeth as he ducked under a volley of kunai. "Fine then, if they want to play it like that, then I won't hold back."

_'…Naruto?'_

"Let's do this, Reimi. The big one."

_'…are you sure?'_

"Yeah, I can count on you, right?"

_'…idiot. You don't even have to ask.'_

Naruto's hands moved through hand seals as he focused solely on the technique. He fed chakra to the palm of his left hand, and immediately felt Reimi take hold of and manipulate it. The process went a lot more smoothly and efficiently than he was accustomed to. _Reimi... she's always been better at chakra control._

"Everyone get down!" he yelled, bringing his left hand up into the air. A compressed ball of air formed in his palm, and he slammed it into a tree. "Dai Bakuretsu Reppuudan!"

The moment the ball of air came in contact with the bark, it exploded violently in a maelstrom of violent wind, ripping apart the tree Naruto stood on, and everything else around him. The force of the blast blew objects away, sending them crashing into deep portions of the forest.

The jutsu only lasted a split second, the explosion disappearing nearly as quick as it had come. Naruto stood in the center of the destruction, panting heavily. He looked about the crater he had created, his heavily bruised body still tense. _That got the traps, right?_ A sound from the edge of the crater caught Naruto's attention, and he spun on his heel, a hand going to his kunai pouch.

"Ugh, what a reckless jutsu." Suzumi walked out of the forest, and Naruto relaxed his guard. She came right up to him, carefully avoiding stepping on the massive amount of debris his jutsu had created. She clasped his chin, and looked him over with a practiced eye, turning his face this way and that. "Look at you, you're all battered. What kind of person uses a jutsu that hurts himself that much?"

"An idiot that doesn't even give his teammates much time to get out of the way," Souju said as he walked up, a man slumped over his shoulder. "I've got to give it to you though. I wouldn't have found this guy otherwise. Kinda hard to hide when everything is flying around everywhere."

"You beat an ANBU?" Suzumi asked as she let go of Naruto's face, noting the rat mask on the unconscious man's face. "How?"

Souju smirked. "Don't underestimate me, I'm an Uchiha. We don't lose, not to anyone. What's more concerning to me, is that it seems like they're really out to kill us."

"You think so?" asked Suzumi.

"Yeah, don't tell me you didn't feel this guy's killing intent? It was the main reason I was even aware of him in the first place."

_So they would actually…_

_'Naruto…'_

A thought struck Naruto, and he glanced at Souju suspiciously. "If you're so strong, why are you still a Genin?"

"That's…" Souju looked away. "…That's none of your business."

"I want to know."

"You're a real brat, you know that?"

"Tell me."

Looking angry, Souju dropped the ANBU to the ground. "Look, all I'll say is I've got my reasons. I've been around longer than you have, so I've more experience than you, not all of it nice. I know more about you than you probably know. If you really want to keep pushing, then I'll tell everyone here your secret."

"M-My secret?" Naruto asked, unable to hide the surprise on his face. _H-He knows?_

_'Does he mean me?'_

"I see you already know," Souju said, gleaning information from Naruto's shocked expression. "Then you'll stop pressing."

Annoyed, Naruto turned away. "Yeah, whatever. I'm gonna go… check over there," he said vaguely, before walking off in a random direction.

"You know… a lot, don't you, Uchiha-san?" Suzumi asked, watching Naruto out of the corner of her eye.

Souju shrugged. "Yeah."

"Then you know about…"

"Of course. It's a pretty big deal to the big clans after all. I'm impressed you're so advanced with your jutsu considering."

"Just… keep quiet about it. No need to spread meaningless information about."

"Of course, we're ninja after all."

"Exactly."

**LineSkipHere**

Naruto staggered to the edge of the forest, panting with exhaustion. "Finally… made it… here…!" They had spent the rest of the day traversing the forest. And though they hadn't run into anybody else, traps and the forest's natural inhabitants proved to be tiring obstacles.

Beside him, Suzumi leaned against a tree tiredly. "I never thought I'd feel this tired."

"You guys are still weak," Souju said with a smirk. "Getting tired from just that, you've still got a ways to go."

Suzumi glared wearily at the older boy. "Oh be quiet, Uchiha-san. It's not like you got through the mess completely unscathed. Besides, you're the one that pushed us to move so quickly."

"We had to move fast to make it before nightfall, Kamino-san. And I also had to carry this deadweight the entire time," Souju retorted, gesturing to the unconscious ANBU he carried. "That's why I hate novice's, they never see the big picture."

"Well, sorry for being more than half your age!"

"Age is no excuse for ignorance."

"It's not an excuse, it's a reason!"

"A reason is just an excuse with a different name."

"Ooh, you're infuriating! Stop being so nitpicky!"

Um, guys…?"

"I'm not being nitpicky. I just prefer things to be correct, and it just so happens that I'm correct more often than not!"

"Says the person so desperate to win against a kid."

"I'm not desperate to win!"

"Guys…?"

"Then what do you call what you're doing?"

"I'm just trying to get you to understand that I'm right!"

"Guys!"

"What?" "What do you want, Naruto-san!"

"There's ANBU standing over there…"

Both Souju and Suzumi turned to where Naruto indicated, and saw two ANBU standing there. Immediately they drew their weapons and took a few steps back. The two ANBU remained silent as they watched.

"Wait…" Suzumi looked closer at one of the ANBU. "Hey, Uzumaki-san, I know that one! It's that important one that was in class!"

"Really? Hey, you're right!" Naruto said, noticing the weasel mask. "What's he doing here?"

The other ANBU, a tall woman with long blonde hair with a rabbit mask, suddenly seemed to move, setting all three kids on their guard. It was only a moment later that they noticed the man Souju had been carrying was suddenly in her arms.

"Holy shit!" Naruto blurted out. _The heck?!_

_'F-Fast…!'_

Souju nodded, his eyes blazing with the Sharingan. "I could barely catch sight of her movements. What I want to know is if she's an enemy."

"We're not in the… best condition for combat," Suzumi muttered, still leaning against the tree.

The first ANBU made some sort of signal and the female ANBU nodded and disappeared along with the unconscious man. He then turned to the three kids, setting them on guard as he watched them. The time seemed to drag on forever as they stared back, too nervous to do anything else.

"Agh, I can't take it!" Naruto growled out after a few more moments. "First the test, then the traps, then the rest of the stuff in the forest, and now this! I've had enough!" He took a step forward and accusingly pointed at the ANBU with a glare. "You! Explain what's going on right now or I'll beat it out of you!"

_'…idiot.'_

Nobody said anything for a few moments, and silence pervaded the atmosphere. The night wind blew softly, rustling the foliage. Then Suzumi turned to Naruto, a frown on her face.

"You... really have no sense of the situation, do you?"

"No!" "And I don't care! There's no point in being scared at this point! Who cares if I can't read the situation!"

'…_don't say it like it's something you're proud of.'_

Souju chuckled. "Heh, confronted with a possibly hostile ninja that's at least ten times stronger, after going through a forest full of murderous things, and this is how he reacts? He's got more guts than I thought. Got a point though, no reason in being frightened." The black haired boy smirked. "Even if he's ANBU, I'm pretty confident of my strength."

Frowning, Suzumi pinched the bridge of her nose. "You two… Fine, I'll go along, but I'm blaming you if we get slaughtered."

Shooting thankful glances at the two, Naruto turned back to the ANBU. "I'm gonna kick your ass!"

The ANBU continued standing there, not saying a word. His silence further aggravated Naruto, eliciting a snarl from him. He charged at the ANBU, his eyes focused solely on his target as he ran recklessly forward.

But before he made it far, his vision was suddenly filled with the earth, something hard forcing him down. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Suzumi and Souju meet similar fates. He scrambled to get up again, but then a heavy weight settled onto his back, forcing him back down. _The heck?!_

"Shiho-senpai told me to report here, Taichou. What is it you require?"

"…get off them."

"What? Oh, my apologies. I had assumed these children were attacking you but…"

Naruto felt the weight on top of him lessen, and he warily got to his feet. He saw a new ANBU talking with the one from before, this one with a scholarly air about him and a hawk mask. "Hey!" he demanded loudly. "I said I wanna know what the heck is going on here!"

The second ANBU turned to his commander. "You didn't inform them?"

"…I wanted to test them."

"And I suppose that guy Shiho-senpai was dragging to the detainment cell was part of your test?"

"He was an unexpected, but not wholly unwelcome development."

"Well, if that's what you think best, Taichou. Should I tell them the news, or will you?"

The first ANBU stepped forward, pulling his weasel mask off. "I will."

Naruto noticed Souju stiffen, and Suzumi inhale abruptly. Looking annoyed, he crossed his arms with a frown. "Okay, why do I get the feeling I'm the only person here that doesn't recognize this guy?"

'_Those eyes…'_

Squinting his eyes, Naruto focused on the ANBU's face, and saw his blood red eyes. "Hey, the charring grunt eye thing! You know this guy, Souju?"

"It's the Sharingan," Souju said irritated. "He's my cousin. His name is-"

"-Uchiha Itachi," Suzumi cut in, a hint of reverence in her voice. "Graduated when he was seven, Chuunin at ten, currently in the ANBU at age thirteen…"

Naruto turned to her. "You know this guy?"

"Who doesn't? He's THE Uchiha Itachi! He's a genius among geniuses! He took out three whole squads of Rain Ninja by himself once! And he did it without even getting hurt!" Suzumi sounded excited as she espoused Itachi's merits. "He's probably the next Hokage at the rate he's going!"

"He's not that great," Souju grunted, looking put off.

Itachi spoke, forestalling the angry retort about to spill out of Suzumi's mouth. "You all were chosen as candidates for Early ANBU Placement. You have all performed to my satisfaction. Congratulations, you may consider yourselves ANBU-in-training, if not actual ANBU."

"That was… all a test?" Suzumi questioned hesitantly, looking down at the numerous wounds she had acquired.

"No way that was a test! They were trying to kill us! Kill me!" yelled Naruto angrily.

"Souju-kun, your squad assignment has already been determined," Itachi continued as if nothing else had been said. "You will report to room 414. I trust you know which one I refer to?"

Souju nodded, still looking tense.

"Very good, they will expect you there tomorrow morning." Itachi then turned his attention to the two younger members. "Kamino-kun and Uzumaki-kun, your situations have not been resolved. Until your training has been decided, you will report to me."

"Wait, how come Souju gets a team and we don't?" Naruto complained.

"Souju has… special circumstances." Itachi's eyes shifted to Souju for a second, before sliding back to Naruto. "Needless to say, he is more than qualified for ANBU work at this point. You two on the other hand are not, and have yet to be properly trained."

"Are you saying I'm weak!"

"Don't go to school tomorrow, I will expect you two to meet me in Training Ground 13 in the morning."

"Hey, stop ignoring me!"

"That is all."

"Wait!" Naruto yelled, but Itachi had already gone. "I wanted to ask him some questions…"

"Sorry about that," the remaining ANBU apologized. "Taichou is like that at times. You'll get used to it though." He removed his mask, revealing a pair of Sharingan eyes. "I'm Uchiha Shisui by the way. Ask for me if you have any questions. See you back home, Souju!" He turned around and vanished with a whirl of leaves.

"What's so special about the Surefire Grand… It's like everyone has them," Naruto grumbled.

"It's the Sharingan! Not the – Ugh, never mind." Suzumi shook her head. "You'll never get it. It's getting late and I've got better ways to waste my time. I've had a tiring day anyways. See you tomorrow, Uzumaki-san."

As Suzumi left, Souju also turned to go. "I've got to get ready for tomorrow. Goodbye, Naruto-san." He took a few steps, then paused and glanced back at Naruto. "Good luck with Itachi-san. You'll need it."

A few moments later and Naruto was alone at the edge of the forest. He looked around, slightly confused. "Uh, so now what?"

'…_research at the library?'_

Naruto hung his head. "How'd I know you were gonna say that. We're not going to the library again!" His stomach rumbled loudly, and he grinned sheepishly. "Well, I guess that settles it! Gotta grab some food!"

**LineSkipHere**

"Report."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," answered Itachi, looking down at the documents she held. "The perpetrator was a Masahiro Keito, an ANBU of ten years. From the information the interrogator managed to extract, we know that he and at least one other person planned for the death of one Uzumaki Naruto. After learning of the boy's place in the Early ANBU Placement exam, they waited for and ambushed him along with his team; Uchiha Souju and Kamino Suzumi. Uchiha Souju was luckily able to disable Keito, but we have yet to ascertain the identity of the others."

"I see," the old Hokage murmured, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He sat comfortably in the large chair in his office, watching Itachi carefully. "And how do Naruto and the others fare?"

"They are physically unharmed, and have been prepared for ANBU training as previously planned. Should I rescind that order?"

"No, no," the Hokage waved a hand. "That won't be necessary. It won't do to punish them for something they're not at fault for. They did well enough for their circumstances." He breathed in smoke from his long pipe, and then exhaled slowly. "What do you think of this matter, Itachi?"

"Masahiro Keito acted in a manner unsuitable for an ANBU, and was a disgrace as a ninja of Konoha. He and his cohorts planned and carried out an attack without thought for any bystanders, and interfered with an official ANBU test, forcing us to cut it short. His record reflects his actions, with a record of incompetence and negligence of given tasks. The only reason he's reached as far as he has is due to his family connections within the Council." He paused, looking hesitant. "If I may, someone like him should have never been allowed to be an ANBU, regardless of who he knows. The one supervising such promotions should have been more prudent, and reined the Council in more."

The Hokage let out a short laugh. "You're as direct as ever, Itachi. Yes, I should've never allowed his promotion, no matter the circumstance. I'll endeavor to meet your expectations in the future."

Itachi shifted uncomfortably. "No, I didn't mean-"

"Yes, yes, it's fine. I can handle criticism. I've dealt with enough of it throughout my long life. I agree though, that the Council has become a bit of a nuisance these years. Especially the new merchant clans that have taken the place of those killed during the events of the Yondaime's death." The Sandaime Hokage's eyes hardened. "Peace has lined their pockets well, and already they want more power than they can manage or deserve. They are quickly becoming more trouble than they are worth."

"Should I take care of them?"

"…and how would you take care of them?" The Hokage stared Itachi hard in the eye, waiting for his answer. When it didn't come, he leaned back into his chair and took another puff on his pipe. "I see… very well then."

"The Council…?"

"Leave them alone for now, I can still handle them."

Saluting, Itachi left with a puff of smoke, leaving the Hokage alone in his office. The old man took his pipe out of his mouth and exhaled slowly, before laying it onto his desk. He looked out the window at the Hokage Monument, at each of the four faces carved into the mountainside.

"It seems, Itachi is not suited to inherit the Will of Fire after all. Much too eager to shed blood…" he murmured mournfully. "And he was the best of his peers too. Minato… it seems I will have to rely on the next generation. Perhaps after you my standards have been skewed, but…" He gave a weary sigh. "I hope… I hope I can hold things together until then."

**LineSkipHere**

Sticking to the shadows, Reimi quietly ran down the streets of Konoha, her sweeping white kimono standing out in the night. After Naruto had eaten his fill of instant ramen, he had immediately gone to sleep. This left Reimi alone with her gnawing curiosity about the day's events. She had decided to do something about it.

Rounding a corner, she came to her destination, the library. A large sign upfront proclaimed the building as 'Closed', and a quick tug at the doors verified that it was locked. Taking a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, Reimi placed a hand on the door and closed her eyes in concentration.

"Haven't done this in a while…"

Slowly, her arm took on a ghostly quality, followed by the rest of her body as she slowly sank through the solid wood. She slowly stepped through the door, her body losing its opaqueness as soon as she was on the other side. Landing softly, she looked around the pitch black room.

She reached into the long sleeves of her kimono and pulled out a candle. Lighting it with a small jutsu, she moved its light about and looked around. The library was empty, its long dusty corridors shrouded in darkness. A cockroach scampered across the floor as it sought refuge from the sudden light.

Navigating the large building, she walked past shelves, pausing to read signs to make sure she was heading in the right direction. She came to a door, and a quick turn of the handle told her that it was locked. Once again she became opaque and ghosted through the door, and descended the stairs beyond it.

Eventually she came to another door, this one not locked. As soon as she turned the handle though, the wooden door came alive and attacked her, a large arm coming out to grasp her. She let go of the handle and turned transparent just in time to avoid being crushed in its powerful grip, and it melded back into the door.

She backed off and studied the door for a few moments, before forming a hand seal with her free hand. "Kai."

The hand seal focusing her chakra, she broke the genjutsu that had activated when she had tried to open the door. She cautiously turned the handle again, and this time it opened with only a noisy creak. The inside of the room was filled with shelves, all lined with even more books than the ones on the main floor. Walking in, Reimi began searching the shelves.

It wasn't too long before she found what she was looking for; two large heavy books, each thicker than her arm. Pulling them off their shelves, she carried them over to a nearby table where she set the candle down, and opened one to the first page. She reached into her kimono sleeves and pulled out a pencil and notepad.

"Let's see…" She quickly began copying the contents of the book, word for word. When she was done with one page, she flipped to the next. It was a slow process, but she wrote quickly, scribbling furiously with her pencil. Several hours later she finished transcribing the entire contents of the first book, and she began copying the second book as well. It was lengthier than the first, and the process took until the early hours of the morning.

_'Morning, Reimi,'_ Naruto greeted just as the girl finished putting the books back into the shelves. _'Huh? Where are we?'_

Reimi walked back over to the table. "The library."

_'Uh, why are we here? Didn't I get you books two days ago?'_

"Research," Reimi said flatly. "On bloodlines and the ANBU."

_'…why?'_

"Yesterday's events didn't make you curious?"

_'Kinda, but I figured I'd just ask today.'_ He took note of the large notepad with tiny writing on the table. _'Hey, that's… Did you copy an entire book again?'_

"No… I copied two books."

_'…and what the heck possessed you to do that?'_

"The contents of the books are not made available to the general public. I had to resort to other means to gain access. Making a copy seemed the most prudent use of my time." She picked the first few pages of what she had copied and thumbed through them. "These don't seem to be as up to date as I hoped. …a decoy?"

_'Well, you really can't expect them to keep Konoha secrets in the public library, right? Anyways, c'mon! What'd you find?'_

"Nothing that you won't find out when you read it."

_'What? Oh, no, don't start again. No way you're gonna get me to read that much! Not like last time!'_

"Didn't you like reading that scroll on advanced chakra manipulation?"

_'Yeah, that was cool. But not Konoha Population census! Or that Fire Country Economics Overview! Just tell me what's important and stuff!'_

"…idiot, I'll get you to read this another time," Reimi sighed.

'_Thank god…'_

Reimi took the thick notepad in a hand and placed it away in her long sleeves, before beginning. "The Sharingan is as Suzumi-san described it, an eye that copies jutsu and can hypnotize others. The Uchiha clan all have the possibility of awakening it, though not all of them are able to. The bloodline itself stems from the Hyuga clan and their Byakugan, which allows them to see everything around them at once. The Uchiha also manages the Konoha Military Police, and regulates public safety. They hide a lot of the information about themselves, meaning there isn't a lot that's known about them.

"The Kamino clan there is even less information about. They originated from another country, and have gained some renown as skilled information specialists here. Their ability to manipulate paper is unusual and believed to be a bloodline ability. They are the sole producers of chakra paper in Konoha, and also regular paper, making them quite affluent. They own the woods to the east of Konoha, which they use for their manufacturing.

"Moving on. The ANBU is an organization that officially serves as the Hokage's personal troops. Unofficially they also undertake various missions that are not made available for public perusal. These may include assassinations of highly placed officials, or the retrieval of sensitive information. A select unit within the ANBU also serves as Hunter Ninja, who track down and dispose of enemy ninja who have deserted their village."

'_So… anything in there that's useful?'_

"Perhaps. We won't know until we need it." She cocked her head, remembering something. "I did read something on testing standards, and the test yesterday didn't seem to follow any of them."

'_Eh, they're ANBU. They probably get special exemption or whatever. Don't think on it too much, you'll fry your brain.'_

Nodding absently, Reimi took the almost burnt out candle and placed it back up her sleeves, careful not to burn her clothing. "We should get going. The library is opening soon, and we shouldn't be here."

She went back up the long flight of stairs and through the locked door. She had just stepped into the main lobby way when someone unlocked the front door and stepped in. Freezing in her tracks, Reimi found herself meeting the surprised eyes of Rhea Bastion. _Oops._

'_Crap.'_

Rhea spoke first. "Um, who are you and what are you doing here?"

"I… got lost?"

'_We really need to work on your lying. No way she's gonna buy that!'_

"Oh, really?" A relieved smile came to Rhea's face. "Thank goodness, I thought you were a thief. Then I'd really be in trouble."

'_The heck?!'_

The black haired librarian walked over to where the bewildered Reimi stood. "Where are you headed? Maybe I can help you?"

"No, no, I'm fine."

"Really? I wasn't born in Konoha, but I know my way around, you know."

"I-I'm okay. I should be going now."

"Are you sure? I really should be a better host, shouldn't I? Maybe some biscuits? I brought some from home, they're really quite good." She reached into the purse she had at her side, pulling out a small white bag. A sweet smell wafted into the air.

"Please, I'm fine, Rhea-san. You don't need to-"

"Oh it's no trouble at all! I could really use some company. We could talk about our favorite books while we eat!"

"I uh, have a dentist appointment?"

Naruto groaned in her head. _'Lies… Practice…'_

A disappointed look came over Rhea's face. "That's too bad, and I was so looking forward to having someone to eat with. Oh well, maybe next time."

Reimi edged for the door. "Er, yeah…" Her hands clasped the door handle and she pulled. A moment later she was out the door and onto the street.

Seating herself at the front desk, Rhea opened the bag of biscuits and took a bite of one. "Too bad she didn't stick around, these really are good." She took another bite. "You know, I didn't catch her name. Didn't tell her mine either. She should work on that, wouldn't make for a good ninja messing up like that." She frowned. "I really should reset that illusion. Oh well, I'll take care of that later."

Flipping open a book, Rhea Bastion began another normal day at the library.

**LineSkipHere**

Letting out a tired breath, Reimi leaned one hand against the wall. Her face was even paler than usual, not being used to the exertion. When she was feeling recovered, she straightened up, fixing her ruffled kimono as she did so.

_'You really gotta work out more if you're tired after just that.'_

Reimi looked sharply at nothing in particular. "Not having a body most of the time hampers me in that regard. Besides, I was scared. You know I don't deal well with people."

_'Excuses, excuses. Switch with me, don't wanna be late for the meeting if we waste anymore time.'_

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Reimi closed her eyes. A moment later, her body changed and Naruto stood in her place. Taking a moment to stretch out his limbs, he jumped up and down a few times, doing a few somersaults in the air.

"Alright! Time to see about digging up some grub!"

_'Instant ramen. We don't have the money, or the time.'_

Naruto's face fell. _Damnit! I should've known eating like that would come back and bite me!_ "Well, I guess I'll just have to settle for that. It's still ramen after all!"

After a quick run home and an even faster meal, Naruto made his way to Training Ground 13. He arrived earlier than he expected, and found he was the first one there. It was mostly an empty area with sparse vegetation surrounded by forest, three well beaten tree stumps set in the middle. Deciding not to waste his time, Naruto started some basic warm up exercises.

He had moved onto more advanced chakra exercises and was so engrossed in them that he didn't notice when Suzumi arrived. Emitting an exorbitant amount of chakra from his feet, he struggled to keep himself off the ground. It was an exaggeration of the basic principle of strengthening your legs for longer jumps, but taken to an extreme. Trying to keep his balance, he accidentally pushed too much chakra down his left leg and he lost his balance, falling to the ground.

The sound of clapping alerted him to his silent watcher, and he turned to see Suzumi standing with an amused look on her face. She walked over and gave him a hand up. "Pretty impressive, you got at least three inches off the ground. I can barely do one."

"Yeah, but I'm sure you don't go landing on your ass every time," Naruto grumbled, patting dirt off his pants.

"Well, I'm sure you'll improve sooner or later. We have to meet their expectations after all. Don't forget, we're not even Genin yet and we're getting scouted for ANBU already. They must have high hopes."

A wide grin spread across Naruto's face. "Well, we'll have to surprise them then, huh?"

"Somehow I doubt we can surprise Uchiha Itachi much."

"Eh, I'll get him. Just you watch."

"If you say so."

They waited a few minutes before Itachi arrived, garbed not in his ANBU uniform, but in a simple black cloak that wrapped around his body. He spared glances at the two, his ever present Sharingan spinning red. Then he reached into his cloak and pulled two scrolls out. He threw them onto the ground, before turning away. "Study those. Finish by tomorrow."

"Wait!" Naruto yelled before the Itachi could leave. "Aren't you gonna teach us anything?"

Itachi looked at the boy disdainfully. "I don't have time to waste. This is only a temporary measure until a proper teacher can be found. Be here tomorrow."

Before Naruto could utter another word, Itachi had disappeared. _Bastard._

Looking a bit disappointed, Suzumi picked up the scroll nearest her. "Well, I suppose someone as important as him can't spare much time to teach us. We'll make do with these until we get an official teacher."

Naruto pouted, crossing his arms across his chest. "Aww, then it's no different then how I always train! I was hoping to finally get a teacher!"

Opening her scroll, Suzumi shrugged. "Why don't you just have your old one teach you?"

"I never had one."

Suzumi froze, and then looked up at Naruto curiously. "Never had one?"

Picking up his own scroll, Naruto nodded. "Never could get anyone to teach me." _Unless you count Reimi nagging…_

"That whole thing with the adults all hating you?"

"That's as good as any reason I can come up with."

Looking intrigued, Suzumi watched as Naruto sat down, unfurled his scroll, and started reading it. "You're pretty good for not having a teacher. How do you practice?"

Naruto shrugged. "A lot."

"But _how_? There has to be some trick, right?"

"I just keep at it till I've got it," Naruto answered absently, his focus more on the scroll than the conversation. "I spend at least a few hours everyday practicing. Like what you saw when you got here. Don't get a lot of time to do it, what with school and all, but I try to fit it into my schedule. Been practicing more this week, cause they let you out if you finish your tests early."

Suzumi frowned, not entirely believing of Naruto's words. "Are you… Are you sure? I mean, even if you trained a lot…"

"Like I said, I just practice."

Her frown deepened as she thought deeply. After a few moments, she shrugged and turned back to her scroll. "Well, if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. We all have our secrets after all."

Naruto looked up from his scroll. "I'm not lying!" he said heatedly.

"If you say so."

"I'm not!" Naruto insisted forcefully, unwittingly standing up.

Eying the worked up boy carefully, Suzumi said nothing for a moment. Then she sighed and gave a helpless shrug. "Well, you don't seem the type to lie so..."

"Of course not!" Naruto sat back down with a pout, burying himself into the scroll.

Seeing the Naruto studying his scroll, Suzumi started into hers as well. Her thoughts though stayed on the blonde boy. _He doesn't have a teacher, doesn't train in any special way, and he's that good? _Almost against her will she spared another look at the busily reading boy. _Is he some sort of genius?_

"Aaahh!!" Naruto suddenly yelled, furiously scratching his head. "I don't get any of this at all!"

Suzumi shook her head at herself in amusement. _How silly of me. Of course not, not Naruto of all people._ She looked back up at the boy, who was once again intently reading the scroll. _Still, for someone in his situation to be this strong…_ She watched as Naruto mumbled under his breath, nodding as if listening to someone.

Deciding to leave that line of thought alone for now, she started studying her scroll in earnest. She had barely begun when she ran into a snag. _This scroll… what level is it intended for? I can do it but just barely, and only because of my family specialty…_ Looking over at Naruto's scroll, she could see that it was the same as hers. Then the boy took out a pencil and started jotting down notes onto the scroll. _Does he understand it? What he's writing isn't random nonsense, it all makes sense!_

"You need something?" Naruto asked, startling Suzumi from her thoughts. He was looking up at her, apparently having noticed her staring.

"Oh, nothing! Nothing!" Embarrassed at being caught staring, Suzumi intently went back to reading her scroll.

Naruto shrugged to himself, and looked back down at his scroll. _Weird girl._

_'…don't let your mind wander, concentrate on reading.'_

"Yeah, yeah… This next concept here, teach me."

Reimi sighed. _'You can do it yourself, but you're still asking me…'_ Despite her words, she went on to explain his question.

The rest of the morning was spent on the scrolls. There were several things within that required physical experimentation to figure out, but those were few and far between, the majority of the scroll focusing on theory. Naruto finished a few hours later, and stood up with a stretch.

"You're done already, Uzumaki-san?"

"Yeah, it wasn't too hard once I set my mind to it. It wasn't too bad." _The nagging in my head was worse…_

"Somehow, I'm annoyed at the fact you finished before me."

Naruto grinned. "Hey, I'm just that talented."

_'…idiot. Don't lie…'_

"If you've got the time, why don't you help me finish this last part up?"

"Sure," Naruto said with a shrug. Walking over he walked her through the final portion. She was quick on the uptake, and it didn't take long before they had finished the scroll.

The afternoon sun peaked out from behind the clouds, causing Naruto to shade his eyes from the light. "Hey, it's getting close to lunch time isn't it?"

Glancing at her watch, Suzumi nodded. "Yeah, it is. Do you want to eat somewhere together?"

"Eh? You sure?" Naruto asked, surprise plain on his face. "I mean, you know the adults don't like me and stuff. If they see us together…"

"Don't worry about that, it shouldn't be a problem."

"I really don't think it's that good an idea though…"

Suzumi sighed. "There won't be any problems."

"Still…" Naruto hedged, looking uncomfortable.

"Ugh, just come with me." Suzumi grabbed Naruto by his wrist and started dragging him after her.

"He-Hey! Wait! Sto-Stop it! Suzumi!"

Suzumi halted, and turned cold eyes at Naruto. "Shut up and come, Uzumaki-san."

"Er, right!"

The boy followed helplessly as the girl dragged him along. "I hope this doesn't turn out bad…"

_'…with our luck?'_

**LineSkipHere**

"What do you mean you won't let us in? Do you know who I am?"

"I'm sorry, Kamino-sama. But we are the 'Uchitake' restaurant of fine dining, and letting in riffraff is against our policies," the thinly built manager said with a snide sneer at Naruto, not looking sorry at all.

Suzumi bristled. "There is nothing wrong with Uzumaki-san! You will let us in now!"

"Maybe it would be better if we just leave," Naruto whispered, warily glancing at the various people watching the scene she and the older man were creating.

"Shut up, let me handle this!" she snarled.

"Y-Yes…" _Such a personality change…_

_'…she's frightening.'_

The manager pasted an obviously false patient look on his face. "Now I'm sure someone at your age wouldn't understand, but there are certain people that are… lesser than others. That brat is one of them, and you would do well to distance yourself from him. I'm sure someone in your position understands at least that much."

"Oh I understand all right!" Suzumi bit out angrily. "I understand all too well. You're a bigoted member of society and obviously enjoy lording over others. Tell me what it is you find so distasteful about Uzumaki-san? What is it that you don't like about him?"

The older man looked flustered at the question, but tried to answer anyways. "He's of poor breeding. Someone like him would be a danger to our very important clientele."

"Poor breeding? He isn't an animal, if you haven't noticed. He's an orphan, and has every likelihood of having perfectly acceptable parentage. And this is a ninja village; most of your customers can kill you twenty different ways before you even noticed they moved!"

"His clothing does not match our standards."

"You're snatching at straws. What he wears is plainly what any other of his peers might wear. And I can see Jirouchi-dono over there, and we both know what he wears."

The manager quickly glanced at a fat sweaty man wearing next to nothing to make sure he hadn't heard. "Jirouchi-san is a well respected man, and-"

"-And Uzumaki-san is as much, if not more worthy of that respect. If it's about money, than you should know I'm paying for this. Or are you implying that the Kamino clan does not pay its debts?"

"N-No! I am implying no such thing!"

"Then tell me! Why do you detest Uzumaki-san so?"

"That is a matter best left unsaid," the manager said, glancing about cagily.

"There's not a thing, is there?" Suzumi asked, a triumphant gleam in her eyes. "You dislike him for no reason at all!"

"There is a reason!" The manager spat out. "It's because he's the-!"

He suddenly cut himself off, his eyes bugging out as he saw something. Frowning, Suzumi turned to see what he was staring at, and saw a pair of ANBU in full uniform standing behind them. Seeing that they were seemingly content to continue to stand there, Suzumi turned back to the manager. "So? You were saying?"

Sweating profusely, the manager wringed his hands. "A-Ahem! I-I apologize. I'll let you i-in. There is n-n-no reason I don't like the br-, that I don't like U-Uzumaki N-Naruto."

Looking confused at the managers sudden change, Suzumi shrugged to herself. "Well, come on now Uzumaki-san. See? I told you there wouldn't be a problem, they let us in."

"Y-Yeah…" Naruto agreed, stepping into the restaurant. _No problem my ass…_

Before Suzumi followed, she glance back at the ANBU, then the manager, and finally at Naruto. A thoughtful look came over her face as she tried to fit the ANBU into the picture. Not coming to any conclusion, she looked over at where the ANBU stood, only to find them gone. Shrugging to herself, she walked into the restaurant.

They were seated at a restaurant secluded from the view of other people. Though Suzumi looked annoyed at not being placed in her usual spot, Naruto was more than happy with it. This way there wouldn't be any more trouble.

A teenaged waitress came to take their orders. "Hello, my name is Lynne, and I'll be your server for today," she said nervously, sounding as if reading from a script. "May I take your order…?"

"Today is Saturday, isn't it? Then we'll go with two Chef Special's."

Lynne made a note on her pad, brushing black hair that fell over her eyes back over her ears. "I- I'll be right back with your salads to start you off."

"It doesn't seem every adult dislikes you," Suzumi commented when Lynne left.

"Nah, she's too young. People her age don't have a problem with me, it's the older ones that do. She seemed nervous though."

"Probably her first day on the job."

Naruto shrugged. "Maybe. Or she could just be shy. She reminds me of someone though, but I can't remember who."

There was a loud crash from the restaurant's kitchen area, causing Naruto to jerk his head to the side. "What was that?"

Loud shouting resonated from beyond the kitchen doors, followed by another crash. A small frown came to Suzumi's face. "I don't know, someone dropped a dish maybe."

Lynne came scurrying out of the kitchen, a frightened expression on her face. She ran up to their table. "Um, m-maybe y-you two should leave."

"Why?" Suzumi demanded. "We just got here."

More angry shouting erupted from the kitchen, causing Lynne to glance back with wide eyes. "I-I-I just really think you should leave before…" She eyed the kitchen meaningfully.

_'…is something happening in there?'_

"Maybe we should go," Naruto said as the shouting grew louder.

"We're not leaving. Not after all the effort I went through to get in here!"

The doors of the kitchen flew open, and a large balding man strode out with a large plate in his hands, catching everyone's attention. He stomped his way to where Naruto sat and dropped it onto the table. Naruto recoiled when he realized it was a plate full of manure. The smell alone made him want to vomit.

"A meal worthy of you, demon brat!" the large man snarled furiously. "It's what you deserve for murdering my family!"

"Wha-What?!"

"S-S-Sanjou-san! Sto-Stop it!" Lynne pleaded the large man. "The customers will-"

"Shut up! You're fired!" Sanjou roared, causing Lynne to shrink fearfully, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

"Hey! Don't treat her like that! She didn't do anything wrong!" Naruto yelled standing up.

Suzumi nodded. "If this is the sort of treatment one can expect here, then I'll make sure no one ever eats here again."

"I said shut up!" He swung one meaty arm, sending the surprised Naruto off his feet. He twisted in midair and landed softly a few feet away.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!"

"Giving you what you deserve, demon brat!"

Suzumi glanced around, and was surprised to see most of the other glaring at Naruto, not one raising a hand to help him. _Even if they don't like him, isn't this going too far…?_

"Stop it!" Naruto shouted as he dodged Sanjou's wild punches. "The heck are you doing!"

"Stop this at once!" ordered Suzumi imperiously, her hands on her hips. "I hope you realize you've just single handedly destroyed this restaurant's reputation!"

"Shut up, bitch!" Sanjou suddenly turned and punched the girl, catching her in the shoulder.

Naruto's face went slack. "Suzumi!" The eight year old girl stirred, coughing up blood. The other customers stirred in their seats, unsure of what to do now that the violence wasn't limited to just Naruto. Lynne had none of their reservation and ran to the girl to see if she was alright.

"Serves her right," Sanjou spat. "She's a friend of the demon."

His patience at its end, Naruto saw red. "You hurt her…" he growled. "You hurt Suzumi… She had nothing to do with this!" The boy didn't notice, but the whisker-like markings on his cheeks grew more prominent and his eyes turned red. His nails lengthened like claws, and blood red chakra leaked out of his body. "RAAGGHH!!" he roared and slammed his fist into Sanjou's face, sending him crashing into the wall.

The other customers began to panic, tripping over each other in their haste to leave. Naruto ignored them and jumped onto Sanjou and began beating his face with his small, chakra enhanced fists. Rage filled his every blow, and he lost count of how many times he struck the man. Blood dotted his fists, and more than one tooth was sent flying. A wild anger blinded him from everything else, and all that filled his mind were thoughts of killing Sanjou.

He felt a hand close over his shoulder, a fierce look on his face. It quickly disappeared along with his physical changes when he realized that the person touching him was Lynne. She looked surprised at his expression, astonishment momentarily rendering her speechless.

"Um, your friend," she said after she gathered herself. "She's alright."

Looking behind Lynne, Naruto saw Suzumi standing up, looking a bit ruffled, but otherwise uninjured. In a moment, he was next to her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a bit stunned. I blocked most of the force with paper."

Naruto collapsed to the floor in relief. "Thank god… I wouldn't want my first real friend to get hurt."

_'…first real friend?'_ Reimi asked, sounding hurt.

Looking embarrassed, Suzumi gripped Naruto by his elbow and pulled him up again. "I'm fine, so stop making a fool of yourself."

Sanjou coughed, a snide look on his bleeding face. "Friend? Hah! As if the Kyuubi could ever have any friends!"

Naruto looked questioningly at the man. "Kyuubi…?"

_'The nine tailed demon fox that rampaged through Konoha eight years ago,'_ Reimi offered.

"Yeah, don't play dumb," Sanjou coughed up a tooth, the grinned insanely. "You're the demon fox! The human vessel Yondaime-sama sealed the Kyuubi into! You killed my wife! You killed my parents! You killed my children! You-"

A black haired woman with a panther ANBU mask suddenly appeared crouched low to the ground, wielding a sword with a blade that spit down the middle. She wore a loose black shirt over fishnet mail, and a pair of long baggy black pants. Before her long ponytail had even settled from the movement, she sliced through Sanjou, silencing him before he could say more. She stood and turned, staring with emotionless purple eyes at Naruto.

The boy didn't react, still in shock at Sanjou's words. "I… I'm the Kyuubi?" he finally said after a moment. An empty hollow feeling filled him, and his chest felt painfully tight. He found he couldn't think, and the thoughts in his mind became jumbled up. "That's not true, is it?" he asked, turning pleading eyes to Suzumi.

She flinched noticeably. "I-I don't know!"

Hurt at her reaction, Naruto looked to the ANBU. "That's not true, is it?"

The woman didn't reply, still standing there motionlessly.

Glancing about wildly, Naruto looked to Lynne for answers. "Is it true?"

"S-So-Sorry!" she stammered, shrinking back. "I-I don't know!"

Naruto glanced about wildly, looking for someone to answer his question. His breathing became uneven, coming in short spasms. "I'm not a demon, am I?"

_'Naruto…'_

Abruptly the ANBU walked up to the panicking Naruto, sheathing her sword onto her back. Naruto recoiled when she reached her hand out, thinking she meant to hurt him, but she only rested it onto his spiky blonde head. He looked up at her in surprise, not sure of what to make of her actions. Then his mind started to drift, and his vision grew out of focus.

Other ninja appeared to clean up the scene, but Naruto was in a daze. He could vaguely hear Reimi's worried calls, but he couldn't muster the energy to care, let alone react. He felt his consciousness drifting away, but he didn't mind. Sleep was a refuge, a place he could hide from the problems of the world. As his eyes closed, the last thing he saw was the blank eyes of the ANBU woman.

**LineSkipHere**

"Where the heck am I now?"

Naruto looked around himself, confused. He was in what looked like a dank sewer, with dirty water coming up to his ankles. The place was dimly lit, and it was hard to see more than a few feet ahead of him. Walls grimy with disuse formed a narrow passage around him.

Frowning, Naruto tried to recall how he had gotten here. "The last thing I remember was at the restaurant… and then that guy said I was…" The events of the day rushed back to him, and he blanched. "No, I'm not the Kyuubi! I'm not!"

Shaking his head of those thoughts, he decided explore his surroundings in hopes of keeping his mind occupied. Sloshing his way through the sewer water, he walked for seemingly miles through the unending passageways. Finally he came to an open area, more brightly lit than the ones before. Large bars formed a giant prison in front of him, a large sheet of paper with strange writing pasted in the center of it.

The sounds of splashing water alerted him to someone approaching from behind. Whirling around, he saw a girl wearing a white kimono with lengthy black hair. "Reimi! You! What are you- huh?"

The girl smiled wanly. "…hello, I never expected to meet like this."

"Where are we?"

"…at a guess, in you."

"Er, what?"

"…in your mind, or perhaps your soul. I don't know, but this is where I spend my time. This is the first time I've seen this room though."

"Okay…" Naruto said, looking confused. "If we're in me, then where am I? What's my real body doing?"

"As near as I can tell, you're unconscious. The ANBU did something to you after that man…"

There was an uncomfortable silence, neither wanting to bring up the uncomfortable subject of the Kyuubi. They stood there for a few moments, giving uncomfortable glances at each other.

"The Kyuubi," Naruto blurted out finally, breaking the silence. "Do you think… Do you think I'm the Kyuubi? Am I really a demon? Is that why everyone hates me?"

Reimi looked distinctly pained. "…no, I don't think you're the Kyuubi."

"But the guy said-!"

"You're not the Kyuubi."

"How do you know for sure? I mean, there's no proof or anything!"

She didn't answer for a moment. Then she looked up at Naruto with an unreadable expression. "Naruto… don't you think it's more likely _I'm_ the Kyuubi?"

"What?! But-"

"…how many other people do you know with another person within them?"

"Yeah, but-"

"The man said that… that the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi into you. Is there anyone else here?"

Naruto didn't have an answer for her. He was relieved that she was saying she was the Kyuubi, and at the same time he felt guilty for feeling relieved. And if she actually was the demon fox, he didn't know how to handle that.

Then he looked into her eyes, and saw the silent plea that lay in the brown orbs. And in that instant, his mind was decided for him. Stepping forward, he lay on hands on her shoulders, causing her to look up at him with startled eyes.

"Hey, you know what? I don't think you're the Kyuubi. And I'm not the Kyuubi either. We're much too nice people to be a demon, right? And besides, even if either of us were the stupid fox, we've still got each other, right?"

Reimi visibly brightened, before she schooled her face back to its usual neutrality. "…right, and thank you."

"Heh," Naruto scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Don't worry about it, we're friends, right?"

She nodded happily, before her expression turned thoughtful. "That reminds me… You mentioned Suzumi was your first _real_ friend. What did you mean by that, I wonder…"

"Erk, that was just…"

"…does that mean you didn't see me as a friend before?"

"No! It was a spur of the moment kinda thing! I didn't mean anything by it!"

"Really…? Should I believe you…?"

"Of course! You know I don't lie! At least not to you!"

"I know." She suddenly smiled brilliantly, and Naruto found his cheeks flushing red.

"Y-Yeah well, good!"

A low, guttural voice came out of nowhere, sounding all around them. **"Spare me the melodrama, mortals…"**

"What?" Naruto whirled around, looking for the source of the voice. Before he could locate it though, a strong, forceful wind slammed into him. There was a certain dark feeling about it that made him feel dirty inside. It carried him away, back down the long passage he had traversed, before painfully slamming him into a wall.

**LineSkipHere**

"Ahh!" Naruto yelled as he sat up. Glancing around, he saw he was in a clinically white room. He was on a bed, a blanket half covering his legs. Fluorescent lights shone brightly from the ceiling into his eyes, making him flinch. The room was mostly barren, only a few sparsely placed furniture in it.

"Reimi?" he asked tentatively.

_'…Naruto?'_

"What happened? What was that weird wind? Are you alright?"

_'…I don't know what happened, but I'm fine. I'm in another area now.'_

"That's good. I wonder what that voice was though?"

_'…voice?'_

"Yeah, the deep rumbling voice that was really loud."

_'…I didn't hear the voice.'_

"Huh? Maybe it was just my imagination then." He shrugged to himself. "I wonder where I am now though?"

_'Hospital…?'_

"Nah, the hospitals have those tag thingies on the beds. This place doesn't have them. Besides, you know how they reacted the last time we tried going there. I doubt they'd let us in now."

_'But then where…?'_

"Dunno, but it doesn't look like I was out long. It's still about five o'clock," Naruto said, glancing at a nearby clock.

The door opened, and a nurse entered the room. She saw that he was conscious and leaned back out of the room. "Hey, looks like you guys lucked out this time. He's awake."

Suzumi rushed into the room as the nurse left, followed by Souju and Lynne. "Naruto-kun, you're alright!"

"Naruto-kun? When did you get so close to Naruto-san?" Souju asked.

"You're the one who called him by his first name from the beginning!" Suzumi snapped back. "Besides, we're friends, Naruto-kun and I, right?"

"R-Right," Naruto answered, looking unsure. "But weren't you…?"

"Don't worry about that. I thought about it, and you're just you."

"M-Me too!" Lynne spoke up. "I-I don't know you but, I don't think people should be judged for that kind of thing…"

"…Thanks, you two."

Souju looked lost. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing, nothing! What are you doing here anyways, Souju?"

The Uchiha shrugged. "Since you helped me pass that test, I figured I'd check up on you guys. Imagine my surprise to find you in the hospital. Where are you hurt anyways?"

"I'm not hurt, that ANBU chick put me in here."

"ANBU chick? Well, whatever. If you're fine, then I'm leaving."

"So soon?"

"What, you want me to stick around?" Souju asked disbelievingly.

"Well, not particularly but…"

"Heh, that's what I thought." Saying that, Souju left the room, waving a hand casually behind him.

"That guy, dropping in like that…" Naruto muttered.

"Um, you're alright, right?"

Naruto looked at Lynne, the waitress from the restaurant, with some surprise. "Yeah, I'm fine. But why are you here?"

Suzumi answered. "Oh yeah, she got worried after all that happened and followed me here."

"Really? Thanks for worrying about me. Sorry about your job."

"I wouldn't worry about that too much," Suzumi said. "With what happened, I'll be using all the resources of the Kamino clan to put them out of business. As for Lynne, if she can't find a job, I'm sure I can come up with something."

"I-I should be fine, really. My sister…" Lynne trailed off, her voice becoming too small to hear.

Naruto looked at her with considering eyes. "Hey, have we ever met before? I feel like I've seen you before?"

"Um… no but, maybe…"

The door opened again, and Naruto was surprised to see who it was. "Hey, you're that library girl! Uh, Rhea-san!"

"How come she gets 'san' and we don't?" Suzumi muttered.

"Hi, Naruto-kun!" Rhea greeted.

"Onee-san!" Lynne said with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Naruto frowned thoughtfully. "Onee-san…? Ah! Now I know who you remind me of!" he shouted, pointing a finger at Lynne.

"Eh?!" she squeaked out.

"You look like Rhea-san!"

Suzumi looked at the two. "You're right. Aside from the glasses, they're identical."

Rhea smiled. "Of course! We're twins after all."

"Um, Onee-san…"

"Oh, sorry, I heard you were fired so I came to pick you up!"

"Pick me up…? But… this is the ANBU headquarters. How did you get here…? The only reason I'm here is for questioning…"

"Don't worry about the details too much," Rhea said. "Come Lynne, let's go home."

"Ah, yes! Onee-sama!" Lynne followed her sister out, pausing to give a quick bow before she left. "Um, goodbye!"

Suzumi turned to Naruto. "Oh yeah, you can leave too. The nurse said that there wasn't really anything wrong with you and could leave whenever you felt up to it. The whole mess at that restaurant was taken care of as well, there shouldn't be any more problems from that end."

"Heh, everything's getting swept under the rug, huh?"

"Seems like it. As expected of the ANBU, fast to clean up."

"So, uh… you really sure you're fine with it? The… fox thing?" Naruto looked vaguely discomforted as he asked this.

The brown haired girl shrugged. "I may not have known you long, but I've never seen you purposefully hurt anyone as of yet. So until I see proof you're a demon, I'll be happy to draw my own conclusions."

"Won't believe it till you see it?"

"Exactly."

Naruto grinned at the girl, and then he looked to the door. "Well, I don't want to stay more than I have to. C'mon, let's get out of here."

"Sounds like a plan."

**LineSkipHere**

Naruto lay down onto his bed heavily. After saying his goodbyes to Suzumi, he had gone to train until sundown, not having anything else to do. When he was done, he headed home to a bowl of instant ramen, and a bit of studying of the scroll Itachi had left him. It was rather late when he had finished.

"I'm not tired at all," Naruto complained, staring at the ceiling.

_'…it's half past midnight. If you don't sleep now, you won't wake up in time.'_

"Yeah well, I'm just not tired. I was unconscious the whole afternoon so…"

_'…at least let me read at the library then. I want to look into the Kyuubi.'_

"No, no, no!" Naruto all but shouted. "No way I'm letting you go to the library! You almost got caught this morning, remember? If you get seen again, they're not gonna let you go, no matter how gullible Rhea-san is."

_'…but don't you want to know?'_

"No I don't. They way I see it the less I know about the stupid demon the better. That stupid thing has caused us more trouble than it's worth."

_'Suzumi-san and Lynne-san don't mind.'_

"Versus all the adults of the neighborhood?"

Reimi didn't have a reply for that.

"Just... don't bring it up again. And no going to the library," Naruto muttered. Turning onto his side, he closed his eyes and didn't say another word.

Eventually he fell asleep and Reimi's body replaced his. Standing up, she smoothed out her kimono and looked out the window. "The library isn't the only place to read…"

Not bothering with the door, she allowed herself to slide through the ground to the first floor, and then proceeded to walk through the wall. Once outside, she navigated her way through the streets to a more isolated section of town where many of the ninja facilities were built. Making sure she wasn't being watched, she walked into a building that had a sign with the words 'Konoha Annals' carved into it.

Almost the instant she went through, she had to step back out again as a ninja walked past. _…have to be careful, there are patrols here. If Naruto found out I was sneaking into a place like this…_ It wasn't the first time she'd been here. Previously, when she had been looking for new jutsu for Naruto to learn, she had snuck in and stolen several scrolls. She had almost been caught then, and had never gone back. Information on the Kyuubi though, was extremely important.

She stepped through again after waiting a few moments, and this time no one was around. Not knowing the layout of the building – she'd only been there once before – she wandered down the halls, sliding through walls whenever she came upon someone. Through great efforts and not a little amount of luck, she made it to her destination without being found.

It was a large, dimly lit room filled with many scrolls, some so old that their bindings were fraying at the edges. There were many such rooms in the building, but this one in particular had what she was looking for. Walking straight to a shelf, she looked through its contents.

"This was where it was last time…" she murmured to herself. "…here it is, found it." Pulling a small scroll from its place, she walked to where the light was stronger and opened it and began reading the brief beginning summary.

"_The Kyuubi, a dreaded demon on tremendous strength and power. It is one of nine beasts collectively known as the biju. It takes the form of a great fox with nine tails, and is known to possess a great ferociousness and an unforgiving nature. Standing at over sixty meters tall, it is the most violent of the biju._

"_It attacked Konoha in the fall of year XXX, causing the deaths of many defending shinobi. It's rampaged seemed unstoppable, until the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, confronted it. But even with his mighty strength he was not able to defeat it. Instead, he sacrificed his own life to seal the demon into a newborn baby – his own son, Uzumaki Naruto."_

Reimi's eyes widened and she had to go back and reread the last line again. _The Yondaime's son…? But then that means…_ She quickly went to the end of the summary and read the signed name, the Sandaime Hokage. _If he knows… then why is Naruto not made aware?_ There was a sudden sound at the door, and Reimi hurriedly returned the scroll to its shelf before dropping down into the floor.

Ninja came rushing in into the room not a moment later, all ready for combat. Seeing no one, a few of fanned out to search while the leader of the group spoke into his radio, informing the other ninja guarding the area to be on the alert. One of the ninja ran up to him to report.

"No sign of the intruder, sir."

The leader frowned, and then pointed at two of the searching ninja. "Nara, Yamanaka, keep searching here. Everyone else, with me. He couldn't have gotten far."

The two ninja continued looking around the room. The black haired one with a lazy look about him, Nara Shikaku, gave a slow yawn. "We have to keep searching when there's no one here. Troublesome."

His blonde partner, Yamanaka Inoichi, frowned. "Hey, we can't let our guard down. Maybe he's hiding here or something." He stuck a cigarette in his mouth and lit it, before leaning against the wall casually.

"Even though you say that, you don't look to be trying very hard either."

"Hey, I don't have to do as I preach, and all that crap."

Shikaku gave a shrug and walked over to Inoichi. "Hey, give me one of those."

As Inoichi gave his friend a cigarette, Reimi rose from the ground behind them. Silently, she slowly walked to the door that had been left ajar by the other ninja. Just as she made it though, she suddenly froze. She struggled to lift her legs, but they wouldn't cooperate. _What, I can't move…_

"Capture, success," Shikaku said to the girl's back. "I may be getting old, but I'm not losing my touch."

Inoichi took a puff on his cigarette. "Hey now, don't be saying that. That would mean I'm getting old too. Besides, don't you have things to ask our intruder?"

"This is so troublesome," Shikaku muttered as he chewed the butt of his unlit cigarette. "So? Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Reimi felt her body move against her will, turning around in small, jerking motions till she stood with her side to the two ninja. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Shikaku was standing the same way. He raised an arm to scratch the back of his head, and her arm followed suit, mimicking his actions.

"Interesting, isn't it? My jutsu makes you do whatever I do, meaning there's no way for you to escape. I do have to say I'm surprised you're just a kid, and a girl at that. What business could you have here, I wonder? People don't sneak in here without permission for no reason after all."

She didn't answer, but her mind was racing as she tried to think of a way to escape. _This jutsu… what is it? I can't dispel it like genjutsu, so it must be ninjutsu… What element is it, air? _Her eyes darted about, trying to ascertain what the other ninja was using to bind her._ No, it doesn't seem like it. It's not earth either, and obviously not fire, water, or lightning. Then that means… non-elemental? But then what…_ Then her eyes focused onto the malformed shadow on the ground connecting her and the ninja.. _Shadow… that must be it. There's no other explanation. Then a countermeasure would be…_

A small round object dropped from within her sleeves, clattering noisily onto the ground. Shikaku stared at it for a brief second, his eyes widening as bright light broke the surface of the orb. "Get down!"

A spectacular flash of light washed over the room, almost Shikaku though he had shielded his eyes. When he opened them again, the place the girl had been standing earlier was empty. "Damn, she got away! The light must've disrupted my Kage Shibari no jutsu!"

The door slammed shut and Inoichi ran to it. "It's locked! We can't get out!"

Shikaku sighed and took out a lighter for his cigarette. "I should've known. Women are all much too troublesome."

"Should we break down the door?"

"Why bother? The leader will just shout at us for property damage. Besides, it'd be a lot easier to just take another path out."

**LineSkipHere**

Reimi let out a weary breath as she rested herself against the wall. _…that was too close, I shouldn't have come here._ She glanced around, alert for anybody that might come down the hallway. _If someone saw me then…_ Reaching into her sleeves, she pulled out a large black mantle and wrapped it over herself so it covered her head and body. Hearing the sounds of footsteps, she quickly slipped through another wall into another hall.

Suddenly, several kunai came flying at her, forcing her to go through another wall. The moment she was through, she had to step back through to avoid losing her head to a sword. Glancing at the ninja that had thrown the kunai, she gathered her legs beneath her and pushed off as hard as she could, hurtling herself down the hallway. She passed through the wall at the end just seconds before another set of kunai did.

She was running now, pushing herself as hard as she could. She had the advantage when it came to mobility, as her pursuers couldn't go through walls as she could. But they outnumbered her, and there always seemed to be someone waiting for her no matter how fast she went or how many rooms she passed through. The twists and turns she was forced to take didn't help either, and she was completely lost in the labyrinth like building. The effort of keeping one step ahead of them was beginning to take its toll on her, and she could feel her endurance slipping away.

A sudden surge of chakra alerted her to an incoming jutsu, and she dove through a wall to escape it. She was surprised when someone waiting on the other side grabbed her by the shoulders, and she was barely able to knee the person in the chin and twist of out his grasp. She was even more surprised when she recognized the person. _I saw him just a minute ago…_

Turning on her heel, she raced through another wall, only to find herself faced with another ninja whom she also recognized. She escaped into the ground to avoid capture, and to give herself time to think. _…something's wrong, why are they showing up like this?_ A thought suddenly struck her. The hallway I was in… I've already been there. _ But then that means… they're making me go in circles…_

Though her face kept its usual serene calm, inside she was filled with annoyance, both at the other ninja and at herself. _I can't believe I missed that…These guys, they're really starting to make me mad…_

Deciding to throw caution to the wind, Reimi came out of her hiding place and started running forward in a straight line, not bothering to avoid anything the ninjas sent at her. Kunai and jutsu came at her as she passed through wall after wall. Most of them missed, but a few managed to find their mark and wounded her. They were mostly minor injuries though, and she continued on, not wanting to lose any momentum. She ran and ran, not knowing how many rooms she passed or how many near deaths she dodged. All she knew was that she had to get away, to get to safety.

Everything began to seem to blur together, but she didn't care. That she had to get somewhere safe kept running through her mind, and it was the only thing she thought of. The brief scenes that flashed by as she ran became increasingly more obscure, and less of the ninjas attacks found their marks. Her speed seemed to pick up and slow at the same time, a strange feeling overtaking her. Then, just as she passed through another wall, she felt as if the world _jumped._

Stumbling and falling, her momentum rolling her into a tree. Startled, she looked around, trying to figure out what had happened. It looked like she was in the forest, but how she had gotten there from the middle of Konoha she didn't know. Looking behind her, she was surprised when she realized she recognized the area.

It was a large area of burnt land in the middle of the forest, a black crater where no vegetation grew. The coarse stone it was made of burned with an unnatural heat that never dissipated. For the people of Konoha, it brought feelings of anger and loss to the forefront. A historic site viewed with both loathing and reverence.

"The Kyuubi's sealing site…" Reimi murmured, "…the place where it died. How did I get here…? Why this place…?" Her eyes widened as fear gripped her mind, her legs giving out under her. "Is it because I'm… don't tell me I'm really the…" She raised a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes, trying to shut out the misgivings she had. "No… no. It's not true. Of course it's not true. It's already decided I'm not the Kyuubi."

But despite her words, she clutched her knees to her chest, her body slightly trembling. She remained in that position for the rest of the night.

**LineSkipHere**

Naruto sat with Suzumi studying another scroll. Itachi had brought it and left as he had the day before, something that bothered him. His mind was on neither the scroll nor the Uchiha's actions though. He tapped his pencil against the back of his hand, frowning. Looking to make sure Suzumi wasn't watching, he spoke. "Hey, Reimi, something wrong? You've been really quiet all day."

_'Eh? Ah… It's nothing…'_

"Nothing my ass. I can tell when you've got something on your mind. Heck, you didn't even say anything when I had ramen at Ichiraku's for breakfast."

_'...you did?'_

"See? That's exactly what I'm talking about. Something's definitely wrong with you today."

_'…don't mind it too much.'_

"Like I can do that…" Naruto grumbled, but he went back to his work.

Suzumi finished her scroll and stood up. "Hey, I'm done with today's stuff. I have some family business to take care of so I have to leave. Do you need anything before I go?"

"Nah, I'm fine. Seeya."

"Bye." Gathering her things, Suzumi left.

It wasn't too long later that Naruto finished his own scroll. Placing it into his weapons pouch, he laid back onto the grass, looking up at the sky above. He watched the clouds pass for a while, basking in the sun's rays.

"Hey, Reimi," he said after a while.

_'…what?'_

"You know that you can talk to me whenever you need anything, right?"

_'…what's this, all of a sudden?'_

"Just letting you know is all."

_'I see…'_

"Well, if you need anything…" Naruto continued to watch the clouds for a bit longer, not saying anything. His mind wandered, and he closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of the cool breeze against his skin. A few minutes passed by.

_'…thanks.'_

"Huh? You say something?" Naruto asked lazily in his relaxed state.

_'No… nothing.'_

**LineSkipHere**

"You say she volunteered for this…?" The Sandaime Hokage asked, fingering the documents in his hand.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," the ninja in front of him answered nervously. "I don't know why she would want anything to do with the demon brat, but-!" A glare from the Hokage cut him off, and he involuntarily took a step back. "Er, that is to say, uh…"

"Thank you for your report," the Hokage said icily. "You may leave now."

The ninja almost tripped over himself in his haste to get away. Sarutobi frowned to himself as the door shut, and he made a mental note to have the man assigned to a faraway outpost. Preferably one in as distasteful a location as possible.

Looking down at the files in his hand again, he 'hmmed' thoughtfully. "Tsubame Kiriko," he said aloud. "I wonder, what is it you seek by doing this…" He reached down and pressed a button on the speaker connecting him to his secretary. "Can you please call Tsubame Kiriko to my office, please."

He didn't have to wait long before the woman walked into the room in full ANBU regalia. She had multiple swords all over her body of many differing types. Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail so it wouldn't interfere with her movements too much. Removing her mask, she looked at him questioningly with her listless looking face, silently asking him why she was there.

"Ah, yes, Kiriko-san. I wanted to ask you some questions concerning your recent request. You don't mind, do you?" Kiriko gave a slight nod, and the Hokage continued. "Hmm, very good then. I'll get straight to the point. What is your goal in doing this?"

She didn't answer, her purple eyes wandering to a corner of the room.

The Hokage sighed. _I remember now, she's _that_ person… She's a good ninja, but as a person she…_ "Well, let's make this simpler. Do you have any ill intentions towards Uzumaki Naruto?"

Her eyes drifted to his. "…No."

"Pardon my bluntness, but you don't seem the teaching type. Is there a reason you chose Naruto specifically?"

"…Yes."

"Would you care to tell me what this reason is?"

Kiriko stared at the ceiling with interest.

"Kiriko-san, when I'm talking please do not let your attention wander," the Hokage said tiredly. Kiriko looked to him again, and gave a faint nod. "Good, now would you please tell me what prompted you to do this?"

The kunoichi pulled something out of her thick armored vest and presented it to the Hokage.

"A letter?" he asked as he took it curiously. Opening it, he unfolded the contents and read it. _She wrote this beforehand? This girl that barely speaks at all?_ "I see. You feel this strongly on the subject." Sarutobi pulled open a drawer and pulled a file out of it. He glanced through it, before pulling out three documents. "I will allow your request, if you take on a full load of students."

A small frown appeared on Kiriko's face.

"Now, now, I know you don't want to," the Hokage placated, "but I think you'll find this arrangement will be beneficial to both you and your new charges. You'll accept this?"

Kiriko hesitated, before giving a small nod.

"Good, very good," the Hokage said with a self-satisfied smile on his face. "Congratulations then, Kiriko-san. You are now officially an ANBU instructor."

**LineSkipHere**

A/N:

A bit of spoilers here for future chapters, so don't read if you'd rather avoid them. Most of this will be rambling, but there'll probably be some things that might interest people if read thoroughly enough.

Okay, so the way I've got this planned is for the first three or so chapters everything will be set before the manga starts. Then from there I start getting into the meat of the plot. Don't get too attached to my OC's because most of them will be killed or written off by the time it gets to the manga story arcs. So that means anyone worried about OC's taking over the story shouldn't worry all that much, since it's mostly going to be canon characters. Reimi will eventually get her own short story arc, but that's quite a few chapters down the line.

Some portions of this I really didn't like to write. Naruto's explosion in the restaurant, for example, I thought was a bit off, and Reimi's slight breakdown after the Konoha Annals felt fake to me. But as I wanted to just move on, I left them as is.

Naruto is quite strong in this fic. At this point he's probably already Chunin. By the time I get to the manga portions, he'll be about Jounin level. He'll be able to take down most enemies by himself, though he won't be a match for anyone above say, Kurenai's level. My reasoning for his strength is that because he has Reimi, he doesn't feel the need to gain attention. Thus, he spends much of his free time training. And because of Reimi's nighttime excursions, he has access to quite a large amount of training material. He's pretty smart too; I mean, after all, he learned the Rasengan in record time in canon. No way is he lacking upstairs. He was just stunted by others as a kid due to their hatred. My Naruto has a bloodline ability that has been slightly hinted at in this chapter, but I'm not revealing till later.

Reimi is strong in infiltration only. In a straight fight, she'd lose to any Genin. She has speed, good chakra control, and the cheap ability to go through objects. She's got other tricks, but I'm not saying much on those yet. Her chakra capacity is low, and her physical abilities are even lower. What really sets her apart is her observational and analytical skills. She'll get stronger later, but never stronger than Naruto. Maybe low Jounin, high Chunin level by the time the manga arcs hit.

Suzumi has no direct relationship with Kanon. I had her in the works way before Kanon even appeared in canon. Her paper tricks are part of her clan jutsu, and have a lot of utility. She's strong, but won't advance all that much later on for various reasons.

Souju, hmm. Spoilers here, though not really if you think. He's gonna die. He's an Uchiha, and they're all gonna get slaughtered. Nothing really to say on him.

Kiriko, I actually like her quite a bit. Originally slated her to die, but decided against it after writing her a bit. Killed off a few other characters to keep her in the story, which I think turned out rather well as OC's were popping up left and right.

Shisui and Shiho. Both are gonna die. One's an Uchiha, and the other is Itachi's teammate. Nothing special here, moving on.

Pairings always seems to be an issue with fanfiction these days. I'm not too sure where I want to go in that regard, but a few characters will definitely develop crushes on Naruto. Maybe I'll do one of those voting things if I really can't decide.

And that's the end of my rambling end of chapter Author's Note. Feedback please, I'm always looking to improve and all that.

じゃね！


	3. Growth

**Paradigm**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto or any of its affiliated trademarks._

A/N:

Well, it's the second chapter. Sorry for the long delay. Got sidetracked by lots of course work. Also got some games that really hooked me for a bit (actually right now DW6 has me hooked…). Anyways, plot is moving along now, and there's just one more before I hit the manga story arcs. Testing some different ways of writing here and there, but it'll mostly be the same as before. Two action type things here as I try out some more things to see what works or not. Even if it doesn't, I'm keeping it in as a sort of reminder that it doesn't.

Actually I'd have over 100+ pages logged on this chapter if I kept all the scenes I deleted or condensed. Rather annoying the way I do that, but I just didn't think some things fit. All that work down the drain _ It hurts…

Made a couple of changes in chapter one. I'll be regularly reworking my stuff, so yeah. Nothing that changes the plot, but just some corrections to clear up my writing.

As stated before, I have no set update schedule; I just post them as I complete them. So don't expect an update date or something. I burned myself out keeping a once weekly update schedule on my first story with only twenty-one pages per chapter, and had to push myself to get the last few chapters out before I accidentally killed the plot. Not gonna repeat that mistake again, so yeah.

The Uchiha eye final secret thing in the recent Naruto canon threw me for a bit. I debated whether I should just ignore it, but then I decided to try to fit that into the story. Took a short break from writing to redo the plot a bit. Hopefully the canon won't throw another curveball, tempting me to redo it again. Tried to keep it vague to avoid that, but at this point who knows.

I've actually found my scenes are much shorter than I imagined them to be. Going to work on that so future chapters. Fight scenes aren't that great either, so yeah.

Oh yeah, please review! Tell me what I need to improve on! I'm here to practice, so if no one tells me what I suck at I won't know! Seriously, I want advice, suggestions, criticism, whatever.

**LineSkipHere**

Chapter 2

Naruto stood next to Suzumi with his arms crossed impatiently over his chest. "How long were we supposed to wait, Suzumi?"

The brown haired girl shrugged. "Itachi-sensei said that our new teacher would be here today. Maybe he didn't get the message?"

"I don't want to wait here forever if he's not gonna show. Could be doing something better with my time. And don't call that bastard _sensei_. What he's done in the week he's been assigned to us I would hardly classify as teaching."

"Don't be rude!" Suzumi admonished. "Itachi-sensei is a very prominent person! And he obtained for us a teacher, did he not?"

"I'll believe it when I see it."

As if on queue someone appeared, setting both Suzumi and Naruto on guard. It was a woman dressed in loose black clothing. Multiple swords were attached all over her person. It took Naruto a moment, but he recognized her. Reimi did too.

_'…that woman…'_

"Hey, it's that ninja chick from the other day!"

Suzumi's eyes narrowed. "Her? What's she doing here? She couldn't be…"

"Kiriko-san will be your new instructor," someone said from behind from behind.

Startled, Suzumi whirled around. "Itachi-sensei! You scared me!"

_He's as fast as ever, crappy teacher he may be…_ Naruto pasted an annoyed look on his face. "Slow! Way too slow! You made us stand out here for over an hour!"

"From today forward, you will no longer be meeting me for lessons. I'm sure Kiriko-san will be a more than adequate instructor."

"Are you ignoring me?"

'…_he's ignoring you…'_ supplied Reimi.

"So you're not going to be coming here anymore, Itachi-sensei?" Suzumi asked.

"As you are now not without an instructor, there is no further need for me coming here."

"Hey! I'm talking here!"

Itachi suddenly turned cold calculating eyes to Naruto, surprising the boy. The trained ninja stared at him for a moment before turning away. "Be sure to show me your potential…"

"Huh…?"

Without another word, Itachi disappeared.

"Wha-? Damnit! He always does that!"

"He seems to like you though," Suzumi commented. "I'm a bit jealous."

"God, don't say that! Just the thought…" Naruto shivered.

"You mean that he likes you, or the jealous part?"

"Both I really don't want to hear…"

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," she said with a mischievous smile. The brown haired girl then turned to Kiriko, who had been standing there silently. "More importantly though, shouldn't our instructor be saying something at this point, Kiriko-san?"

Kiriko continued to stand there, looking more like a life-sized doll than a living creature. Her lack of reaction frustrated Suzumi. "I'm speaking to you! A reply would be nice!"

Their new instructor looked around, as if looking for something. "…Three?"

"Three? Three what?" Suzumi waited for an answer a few moments. When none seemed forthcoming, she shook her head in disgust. "Ugh, exactly as I thought. I can't accept you as a teacher."

Naruto glanced at Suzumi strangely. "Hey, you alright? You seem a bit… high strung? Kinda?"

"Of course I'm all right! Why wouldn't I be?" she snapped, not taking her eyes of Kiriko.

"Well, if you say you're alright…" _Hahaha… she's in one of her weird moods again…_

'…_she seems to become like that whenever stressed…'_

"Well? Shouldn't you be teaching us or something?" Suzumi demanded crossly.

Kiriko turned her lifeless eyes to Suzumi and stared. Unnerved, the girl took a step backwards. "W-What do you want?" The woman ANBU pulled one of her swords, a long katana, out of its sheath and leveled it at Suzumi. "Wha-What?!" The tip of the blade was so close it was almost touching the girl's nose.

Naruto drew a kunai. "Hey! What the heck are you doing!"

'…_she's serious…?'_

"…Training," Kiriko said blandly, right before she thrust forward. Suzumi barely dodged out of the way, sheets of paper appearing into her hands. A suddenly flurry of slashes forced her backwards, before one caught her off guard and sent her flying into the trees.

"Suzumi!" Naruto yelled. He started for his friend, but had to duck down to avoid being beheaded. _Shit! She isn't holding back at all!_ Pulling a handful of kunai from his pouch, he threw them hard at Kiriko in hopes of gaining some distance from her deadly blades. She batted them away in a smooth motion, all whilst she continued advancing on him. The sheer speed she did all this frightened and awed Naruto at the same time, and it was all he could do to stay alive.

Something came hurtling at Kiriko from the side, and she again swung a sword at it. The instant it touched the blade though, it suddenly wrapped around it. Kiriko paused in her fluid strikes and glanced at the blade, four bands of white paper wrapped neatly around its tip.

"Kamino-ryu Hijitsu: Kami no Omosa! Hyaku Kilos!"

Kiriko's sword arm fell as if weighted, the point of her sword sinking into the ground. She glanced at the weapon, before looking to where Suzumi stood, her hands together in a hand seal.

"How does four hundred kilos feel? Heavy isn't it?" The brown haired girl had a triumphant look on her face. It was wiped off a moment later when Kiriko lifted the sword back out of the ground, not looking encumbered at all. "That's not good… Eeep!"

Naruto stared at the small crater that had appeared where Suzumi had stood an instant ago, the girl barely managing to dodge. "Holy crap! Are you sure that was four hundred kilos? 'Cause she just threw it like nothing!"

"I-I didn't make a mistake! One hundred kilos per strip of paper!" Suzumi managed to say as she appeared next to Naruto. "She's just really strong!"

'…_we're in trouble…'_

Watching Kiriko walk to where her sword stood embedded in the earth, Naruto had to agree. "Shit."

"Exactly…"

Drawing the blade from the earth, Kiriko swung it up and down, testing its weight. Sheathing it, she stood with her hand on its hilt. Staying in her relaxed standing stance, she looked listlessly at Suzumi, her head slightly tilted. She drew the sword out in a slow languid motion and pointed it at her.

"Watch it, Naruto-kun," Suzumi warned. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you, but she's good."

Naruto nodded, not taking his eyes off Kiriko. "Yeah, I got that. You too, watch yourself."

Kiriko took a step forward and was suddenly between Naruto and Suzumi. She stabbed her sword into Naruto's stomach in one smooth motion before the boy had even fully registered her presence.

'…_Naruto!'_

"Ugh," he grunted, before he was replaced with a log. Suzumi took advantage of the moment it took for Kiriko to free her sword from the log and retreated into the forest, not looking back.

The white strips of paper loosened then fell off Kiriko's sword. The woman lifted it up, level with her shoulder, and pointed it in a direction. Slowly the sword changed its direction until it pointed deep into the forest. Kiriko stared at the forest for a moment, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

**LineSkipHere**

Suzumi was panting heavily, her eyes wide and watchful. She was hiding in a tree, standing high in its branches. A glint of light was the only warning she got and she jumped away just before a sword bit into the tree where she had stood a moment ago. Unzipping her backpack, she dumped out all the paper in it and quickly ran through hand seals. "Kami Bunshin no jutsu!"

The paper came together, changing shape to a caricature of her form. Then color appeared on it in small blotches, and then larger blotches until a person stood there that looked exactly like Suzumi. Landing on the same branch Suzumi perched herself on, it turned to its creator and smiled. "Hello, Suzumi-sama! How are you today?"

"Not now!"

The paper clone of Suzumi turned to see Kiriko bearing down on her. "Well, that's interesting, isn't it?" Her hands reverted back to sheets of paper, and formed an oversized white scythe that looked more like something from a cartoon than an actual weapon. Suzumi's paper clone swung it at Kiriko, only for the scythe to be sliced to pieces, the paper flying apart.

Suzumi, who had put some distance between her and Kiriko, suddenly found her paper clone running alongside her. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be stalling her for time!"

The paper clone smiled brightly at its creator. "I'd be delighted to if I could, but I'd hardly last a second against her! And it's been so long since I've last been out…"

"…what kind of worthless ninja am I that my replications don't even obey me?"

"The best kind of course!"

"Ugh… I'd better try to find Naruto." She glanced back at the quickly pursuing Kiriko. "I must unburden myself of unneeded people first though…"

Picking up the pace, Suzumi and her clone raced through the trees. Kiriko followed only seconds after.

**LineSkipHere**

_'Are you okay?'_ Reimi asked concernedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" said Naruto, his breaths ragged as sat in the branches of a tree. He clutched at the large stab wound in his side, trying to stop the bleeding. "I wasn't fast enough, her sword got me before I could switch…"

_'…sorry, if I had noticed sooner then-'_

"Save it, she's way too fast…" He grinned widely. "Besides, I heal fast, remember?" He removed his hands from his wound, revealing that it was healing quickly. "It just stings a bit when I move."

_'Kiriko-sensei… her way of training is very harsh…'_

"Nah, she's great! How many people actually take us seriously?"

_'…seriously? Idiot, she almost killed you…'_

"And she didn't! You don't think she could've if she wanted to? Trust me, Kiriko is a good thing! A few months with her and we'll be super strong!"

_'If we survive…'_

"Don't be such a downer, of course we'll survive! It's not like she's out to kill us. She's a nice person!"

_'…on what basis do you say that?'_

Naruto shifted to a more comfortable position. "Remember back at the restaurant with Suzumi a week ago? She stopped the man from speaking."

_'…after he shouted at you for several moments and revealed uncomfortable truths…'_

Naruto frowned at her bringing up that topic. "Well, she probably acted as fast as she could. And it's not just that she stopped that guy. When she came up to me, I saw something in her eyes, you know? And I just kinda knew she was trying to help."

_'…her eyes? They seemed rather… bland to me.'_

"Not just her eyes, her chakra too. Really kind and warm."

_'Kind and… warm? I trust your senses but, are you sure…? She stabbed you…'_

"She's a ninja, what do you expect? Hugs and kisses?"

_'Still…'_

A few minutes passed as Naruto rested, before he stood up slowly. "Ngghhh!" he groaned as he did a few stretches. "It looks like I'm pretty much healed up now!" He did a few more stretches.

_'We should find Suzumi-san. She may be having trouble with Kiriko-sensei.'_

"Yeah, it's been a while." Naruto stretched out his arms one more time. "Hey, Reimi."

_'…Naruto?'_

"We've come a long ways since the orphanage, haven't we?."

_'…yes.'_

Naruto grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Well, since we've finally got our long awaited teacher, let's go show her what we've got!"

Checking his mostly healed wound one last time, Naruto looked around. "Let's see… That way!" He jumped from his branch and began leaping from tree to tree. "Here I come!"

**LineSkipHere**

"Is it really wise to allow _her_ of all people to become the teacher for that team?"

Sarutobi looked up from his documents at the speaker, an ANBU wearing a white hooded cloak and a bear mask. "You have misgivings about my placing her there? You did allow her transfer to pass without complaint, a favor I am thankful for. Are you having second thoughts?"

"Tsubame-kun is… unique. I'd be lying if I said I did not worry for her ability to cope in anything but the environment she's operated in for the past years. However, my misgivings are more directed towards the students you have chosen for her."

"You have something against Uzumaki Naruto." The Hokage stared at the ANBU intently.

"No, I do not particularly dislike the boy. But one does have to admit, his condition brings a certain modicum of discomfort along with it."

"I can assure you that the Yondaime's work on the seal was perfect. I checked it over many times myself, as have many other experts."

"I'm sure you believe so, and I don't doubt the seal can be any more refined," the ANBU demurred. "However, even you must admit that no one can truly say what the limits of the demons powers were. And it is very much in the realms of possibility that some mistake was made along the lines that no one was able to discover. No disrespect to your vaunted skills intended."

The Hokage looked none too happy. "If you're saying that Naruto should be disallowed from participating in any activities due to his misfortune, I'll be very disappointed in you."

The ANBU reached to his mask to reach for glasses that weren't there, an unconscious movement. "As one charged with Konoha's security operations, among other things, I have to exercise extreme caution when it's called for. This is one such moment."

"And as the Hokage of Konoha, – one charged with the protection of its entire people – I must insist that Naruto not be stripped of his rights."

The two powerful ninja stared at each other. Moments passed as a silent struggle of wills took place, the only sound in the room the ticking clock on the wall. Neither of them moved, not wanting to be the one to break the heavy atmosphere.

It was the ANBU that broke first, unable to maintain eye contact. Flustered, he looked away. "Well, I suppose we can put that matter off for now."

"For now," the Hokage nodded.

"That boy is not the only student I am worried for though. Kamino Suzumi is a very adept ninja for her age, yes. But given her clan's current circumstances, is it truly wise for her to be allowed to engage in this line of work? The economical and political fallout from her death would be devastating. Not to mention what would happen to the 'businesses' they run. Delaying her continuation to active ninja service would be safer. In fact, I would go as far to suggest not granting her ninja training at all."

"As opposed to leaving her untrained and easy target for those who seek unrest in Konoha? ANBU training is quite a lot different than what the average ninja goes through. But you already knew that, being the one in charge of overall ANBU operations."

"She'll be needlessly exposed to danger as an ANBU. Her enemies will not be limited to just those she already has."

The Hokage frowned, and then nodded. "Her activities for now will be restricted to training exercises. More involved missions will be reserved for later, and care will be taken that they remain within safer territories. If the danger becomes too much, she always has the option of retiring early." Sarutobi paused, and then jotted down a note into a file. "I'll make doubly sure their activities don't exceed their limits."

"Yes, we can never be too careful," the ANBU agreed.

"I'm surprised you would allow your personal feelings to influence your judgment though," the Hokage said. "You're not one to do such things usually."

"I'm not," snapped the ANBU. "I'm merely stating valid concerns!"

The Hokage nodded. They sat in silence for a few moments before he spoke again. "Do you have any concerns about the third member of Kiriko's team?"

"Shiro-kun?" the ANBU asked as if surprised. "No, of course not! It's about time he reentered the ninja force, even if it's just a training group. It'll be good for him. And he's quite an excellent ninja."

"We're both in agreement on this subject then. Good, I'm glad I didn't have to force that issue."

"As am I. Shiro-kun has the makings of an excellent agent. The faster he's recovered the better." Glancing at the clock, the ANBU stood from his chair. "I've spent too long here. I must get back to my work."

The Hokage stood as well. "As do I, old friend. My work never ceases to end, it seems."

"As does mine. The efforts we put into making Konoha safe… It will likely kill us before anything else does!" the ANBU joked darkly.

"That… is quiet within the realms of possibility," the Hokage nodded. "I hope that day never arrives."

**LineSkipHere**

"How does she keep finding us?" Suzumi yelled as she sprang from her hiding place to avoid being cut down.

Her paper clone shook its head helplessly as it pulled Suzumi from behind to a branch. "Even when you used _that_ jutsu, it still only bought us a few minutes. This does not seem to be going well…"

"Exactly my thoughts…" Suzumi muttered.

"…Slow."

Kiriko was suddenly at their side. Suzumi found herself being flung away by her clone as the ANBU's blade came down. The paper clone was cut straight down the middle, its expression one of surprise. A moment later its body reverted to its original form, and sheets of paper rained down away to the ground far below.

Gritting her teeth, Suzumi landed on the side of a tree. _Ugh, I used most of my paper and chakra into that bunshin. And after using that jutsu, I'm almost out… Where's Naruto?!_

Suzumi glanced around, looking for Kiriko. _What? Where is she? She was just there a moment ago…_ "Oof!" The air was forced from her lungs as a large, heavy force impacted her, sending her flying into a tree. Raising her head, she looked up just in time to see the sword slice into her torso.

Kiriko stood there with her sword imbedded in the girl for a moment. Then in a flash she withdrew her weapon and spun around just in time to block a kunai stab. Behind her, the body she had stabbed turned to paper and fell apart.

"I thought you would notice…" Suzumi said as she pressed her kunai into Kiriko's sword. With her other hand, she formed a hand seal. "Kami Yari!"

The paper that her false body had dispersed into came together again, forming many spears. Of their own volition, they drove themselves into Kiriko's body, impaling her many times over.

"How's that?" Suzumi asked with a victorious smile on her face.

Kiriko frowned, and then with a burst of strength flung Suzumi away with her sword. Flipping in midair, Suzumi landed on a tree with a shocked expression on her face. "What? But I thought that-!"

The paper spears fell away, revealing that not one had pierced through.

"N-No way! That paper is ten times harder than steel!"

Taking a step forward, Kiriko appeared next to Suzumi, readying her sword to strike. Tired and worn, Suzumi only had enough time to bring her arms up to protect herself. Just as Kiriko was about to swing, she glanced up and jumped backwards to another tree. A moment later, Naruto came plummeting down, impacting the spot she had just stood in.

"Heh, looks like I was a bit slow," Naruto said as he straightened up.

"Naruto-kun! Where have you been? Tsubame-sensei has been after me the whole time!"

"Well, here and there, you know."

"You'd better have a good explanation for me later. I've almost exhausted all my chakra just keeping up with Kiriko-sensei."

Naruto grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Well, I promise I'll make it up to you. Won't let her catch me off guard this time! Gonna kick her ass!"

"As much as your enthusiasm amuses me, I somehow doubt there will be any ass kicking today unless you count ours."

"Eh, you're too pessimistic, Suzumi! C'mon, let's go!" Naruto drew a kunai and jumped towards Kiriko.

Sighing, Suzumi reluctantly moved to follow the boy. "I just know this is going to come back and bite me…"

**LineSkipHere**

"Owww… My whole body hurts! I swear I can feel my hair crying out in pain!"

"Oh be quiet, Naruto-kun," Suzumi snapped from her lying position. She was on a hospital bed, bandages and gauzes covering parts of her body. A look of envy came over her face as she looked to where Naruto stood. "You don't get to complain when you're the one not needing bandages of casts!"

Naruto shrugged, glancing down at the few bruises and cuts he had. "Hey, I just heal quick. It's not my fault you're not as good at it as I am. Maybe if you practiced doing it or something…"

"…I really don't think that's something you can train."

"Still, Kiriko really is amazing isn't she? She totally kicked our asses!"

"You're about the only person I know that gets happy when someone kicks their ass, you know that?"

_'…she's right, Naruto. Getting happy because someone can beat you is a bit… strange.'_

"But it means that we have a really great teacher! I've got some awesome luck! My first teacher and she's totally kick ass!"

Suzumi winced at her wounds as she sat up. "I don't like her."

"Huh?" Naruto looked perplexed. "Why not?"

"She killed that man in the restaurant for no good reason."

Naruto looked stunned. "He was saying all that bad stuff about me!"

"Do you really think that being talked badly about is a sufficient reason to kill someone?"

"Well, no… but-!"

"She could've knocked him out with her skills, but she chose to kill him."

"She probably had a good reason to-!"

"There never is a good enough reason to kill someone, I don't think. And even if that man was a pathetic waste of space, death is a bit too much." She looked away. "Life is short enough as it is." Suzumi looked melancholic as she said this.

"I… see…" Naruto murmured. _Sounds like she has some bad experience…_ Then a thought struck him. "Will you… hate me if I ever kill someone?"

The question took Suzumi by surprise. "Of course not! Don't be silly! Why would I do something like that?"

"But you don't like Kiriko because she killed someone."

"Well, she didn't look like she was sorry for murdering him. I assume you would feel bad, right?"

Naruto looked discomforted. "I… I'm not so sure. As a ninja, wouldn't I have to kill a lot of people? I mean that pretty much defines the job, along with espionage and other stuff. If I mourned every person I took down, I'd probably become depressed and waste my life away like an idiot or something. Distancing myself from the deaths would be like a defense mechanism or something. And there would probably be someone that I'd _want_ to kill, you know? Would you hate me for something like that?"

"That…" Suzumi trailed off, unable to answer.

"See? It's not that simple, right?"

They sat in silence for a moment, before Suzumi spoke. "You… You're a lot more mature than I thought. I'm quite surprised."

"Heh, I'll take that as a compliment." He paused, a frown coming to his face. "Hey, what I said isn't gonna make you rethink being a ninja or something, right? It would suck a lot if it was me that made you quit…"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not going to quit as a ninja. It's something I really want."

Looking confused, Naruto asked, "But you don't like killing, right? Why do you want to become a ninja?"

Suzumi was silent for a moment. Then she looked up at the ceiling. "My clan owns and operates many businesses, and not just in Fire Country. We have import and exports to just about every nation. Because of that, we can't have strong ties to any ninja village, even though we're based here."

"What does that have to do with you wanting to be a ninja?"

"Be patient, I'm getting there," Suzumi admonished before continuing. "Before we became involved with business, we were ninjas. But since then, that way of life has fallen to the wayside, in favor for the more profitable and far less dangerous practice of buying and selling. My parents didn't want me to become a ninja, said that we were past that stage. I disagreed and trained with my grandfather." Suzumi turned her gaze to Naruto. "And then they died. My mother and father died in a fire. Some guy set it and ran. They couldn't get out of the house in time."

"So… you want to become a ninja to catch the guy that set the fire?"

The girl shook her head. "No, they already caught the guy. Drunk, had one glass too many. Lit a cigarette and just dropped it. An accident, they said. He's already been hauled off to prison."

"Then why do you want to be a ninja?"

Suzumi looked down at her lap. "The night before they died, I had an argument with them about my ninja training. They wanted me to quit and focus more on my studies. We had talked about it before, but it got particularly heated this time. I got angry, and I ran away to my grandfather's house. Before I left, I swore that I would show them how great of a ninja I would become. It was the last thing I ever said to them. I know it's strange, but if nothing else, I want to treasure those final words to them more than anything else. At least for as long as I can…"

"I see…" Naruto murmured. _She's been through a lot…_

_'We're not the only ones who have had troubles…'_ Reimi softly remarked..

"Well, enough of that!" Suzumi wiped at her eyes. "Why am I bringing up this depressing stuff all of a sudden? It's not like me."

Naruto suddenly felt Reimi take control of his mouth. "…It's sometimes easier to talk to a friend, than it is to admit it to someone else or even yourself…. If you ever need someone to confide in…" Though the voice was his, it sounded like a completely different person speaking.

Suzumi giggled. "What's with you, Naruto-kun, talking like that? Are you imitating someone?"

"Ah! Uh… s-something like that…" Naruto stammered, regaining control of his voice. He was surprised at Reimi's sudden forcefulness, and took a step back to steady himself.

_Reimi, you feel that strongly about this?_

"Remember that day in the restaurant? You said that I was your first real friend. Well, you're mine as well."

"What? You? No way! Someone like you must have tons of friends!"

"I'm flattered you think that of me," Suzumi smiled softly. "But I don't exactly have much time to socialize, as most of my time is monopolized between training and studying. And those that do call themselves friends are more interested in making friends with the heiress of the Kamino clan than Kamino Suzumi."

"The rich have their own problems, huh? Well, you can count on me if you ever need anything!" Naruto grinned and gave her the thumbs up.

Suzumi returned his grin with a smile. "Nice to know I can rely on you."

The door opened and a nurse walked in. "Let's see… Ah yes, Kamino Suzumi," she read the name off a note. "You're grandfather is here to pick you up. Are you feeling well enough to move without assistance?"

"I should be fine," Suzumi said as she swung her legs off the bed. She winced at the movement. "Ow, maybe not so fine. But I can't be a ninja if I can't handle this much, right?"

"Maybe we should get you a wheelchair or something," Naruto said.

Standing up, the girl took a few experimental steps. "I can manage. I'll be as right as rain when I get home – we have some tricks for healing and whatnot." She turned to the nurse. "Thank you for telling me, I can manage on my own from here."

The nurse nodded. "Yes well, I should be going now. I don't want to spend anymore time here than I have to." She sneered at Naruto before she left. Suzumi bristled slightly.

Naruto shrugged. "Eh, ignore her. C'mon, I'll walk you to your grandfather."

Stepping outside, the almost ran into a familiar face standing next to the door. "Hey! The guy with the Starry Eye thing! Uh, Shoji!" Naruto greeted.

"Souju…" the boy said with an annoyed expression. "And I see it's barely been a week and you've gone and gotten yourselves injured again. Figures."

"Our teacher isn't exactly reasonable, I don't think," said Suzumi. "She kept attacking us, calling it training!"

Souju shrugged. "It's ANBU, what did you expect? They don't have the time to coddle you, so they're just going to beat the training into you. If you can't handle it, then you're not cut out for ANBU."

"Hey, cut us some slack, will you?" Naruto complained. "It's our first day! We'll get used to it in no time! Won't we, Suzumi?"

"E-Exactly!"

"Heh," Souju smirked. "If you say so."

"By the way, what have you been up to?" asked Naruto, sidling up to Souju. "You're ANBU now, right? Any cool things you wanna share with your underclassmen?"

"Nothing you'd be interested in," said Souju, stepping away from the blonde boy. "Everything else would be considered top secret. Meaning someone like you can't know."

"Aww, c'mon! Don't make me get down on my knees and beg!"

"You're welcome to do that, but I won't be changing my mind."

"That's not fair!"

"Whether it's fair or not is not for you to decide."

"But it isn't!"

"Even if you complain to me, my hands are tied on this matter."

"Then untie them! And I'm not complaining!"

"You are."

"I'm not!"

Suzumi suddenly giggled into her hand. "You two really do get along well!"

"What?! No way!"

"What are you, stupid?!"

She raised an eyebrow. "See? You're both on the same wavelength!"

"No we're not!"

"With this idiot?"

The two boys glared at each other while Suzumi struggled to contain her amusement.

"Well," Souju said, "I need to be going."

"What were you doing here anyways, Uchiha-san?" Suzumi asked.

"I-er… That is to say… I heard that…" He turned away awkwardly.

"You were worried about us? That's so cute!"

"Sh-Shut up!" Souju glared. "I'm leaving" He stomped off.

"He's so easy to tease," Suzumi remarked.

Naruto nodded. "Well, we better not keep your grandfather waiting any longer. We've been here for a while."

"Oh, that's right!" Suzumi realized, startled. "We'd better be going!"

Together they left the hallway and went down to the first floor where an old man dressed in traditional looking clothing was waiting. He had imposing eyes, and white hair tied in a long ponytail down his back. Leaning against his cane, he glared at Naruto.

"Suzumi, come over here."

"Yes, Ojii-sama," Suzumi answered quietly, becoming suddenly obedient. She walked meekly over to the old man's side, ignoring Naruto's look of disbelief at her sudden meekness.

"Takamura-san, take her home."

A tall man with a large box on his back came forward. "Yes, sir. Please come with me, Ojou-sama."

Giving a helpless backwards glance at Naruto, Suzumi left with the assistance of the servant. Naruto watched her leave until she was out of view. Then he turned his attention to the old man.

"Hey, you want something?" he asked loudly. More than one person in the lobby turned to see what was going on, but a glare from the old man sent them back to what they were doing.

"So, you're Naruto.".

"Yeah, what's it to you?"

"You are friends with my granddaughter."

Naruto tensed. "You have a problem with that?"

"She talks about you a lot."

"…she does?"

"Your friendship is very important to her."

"I… I see. Why are you telling me this?" Naruto asked confused.

"Suzumi is very important to me," the old man said. "She is all I have left in this world. She likes you, for some unfathomable reason I cannot even begin to understand."

Naruto stared. _Is this guy insulting me…?_

"She puts up with you," continued the old man, "so I will do so as well. But be warned, if you ever do anything to her…" He glared at Naruto so fiercely the boy unconsciously took a step back. The boy felt instinctual fear and an overwhelming intent to kill from the old man

Then the feeling was gone, and the old man turned around to leave. "Just keep that in mind," he said. "I don't trust you."

Naruto kept his eyes trained on the old man until he was out of sight. Then he let out his breath. "That guy, just his glare scared the crap out of me." Raising a hand to his face, he wiped the cold sweat that had broken out.

'_Naruto, your hand…'_

"Huh?" Naruto looked the hand wiping his brow, and was surprised to find a kunai in it. His eyes widened. _That guy scared me so much I reflexively drew a weapon?_ Looking to the door where Suzumi's grandfather had exited, Naruto shuddered. "That old man, we'd better not piss him off…"

'…_yes.'_

**LineSkipHere**

The next morning Naruto found himself waiting once again with Suzumi in the training area. "Hey, you're looking a lot better than yesterday!" he said, noting the lack of visible wounds on Suzumi.

_'…she doesn't even look like she has been recently injured…'_

The girl smiled. "Don't underestimate the capabilities of the Kamino clan. We're number one when it comes to secrets!"

"Well, you know the secret of why our teacher is so late again?"

"I don't care if it has anything to do with that woman."

"What, you still don't like her? Didn't we talk about it yesterday?"

"I don't know what conversation you were following," Suzumi said, "but nowhere did I ever say I'd forgive her for that meaningless murder. I may view it in a better light, but it's still wrong."

"Well, if you say so," Naruto said, scratching his head.

Just then Kiriko appeared, dressed in the loose black clothing she had worn when she first met Naruto. With a bland expression on her face, she walked to where Suzumi stood. Bending down, she placed her hands onto the girl's forehead.

Suzumi stiffened. "Hey! Don't touch me!" When Kiriko didn't immediately let go, Suzumi began to struggle against the surprisingly firm grip. "What are you doing? Let go at once!"

Kiriko let go of the fuming Suzumi after a few moments and walked over to Naruto. He tensed slightly as she reached her slender arm to his head, recalling what had happened the last time she had done it. As her hand settled onto his head, he felt a rush of chakra spread from that point, a cold sensation that washed through his body. The feeling lasted for a few moments before Kiriko removed her hand.

_'That was… an analysis jutsu?'_ Reimi murmured softly.

_Analysis jutsu? What's she doing an analysis jutsu for?_ Naruto watched as Kiriko walked back a few paces and looked around, scanning the edge of the forest. _What's she doing now?_

Just then Itachi came walking out of the trees, followed by a kid covered head to toe with a white hooded robe-like clothing that concealed most of his body. The only part of his that was visible was his pale white eyes, which were sharp and alert.

"Ah, Itachi-sensei!" Suzumi greeted happily as she ran over to him. "How are you today? And who's this?"

Kiriko interrupted, walking up to the boy. "…The third," she declared.

"What?"

"Huh?"

"Kiriko-san is correct," Itachi said in way of explanation to the confused Suzumi and Naruto. "Shiro-san here is the third member of your group."

"There's more of us?" asked Naruto, surprised.

"A full cell consists of four people. With Shiro your team is complete. He was supposed to be here yesterday, but he proved rather difficult to locate."

"I see…?"

Itachi looked to the morning sun, judging the time by its angle. "I shall be leaving now. I have other things to do."

Suzumi looked dismayed. "You're leaving already? Can't you stay a little longer? Maybe teach us a few things? I mean, you're a great ninja so-"

"I'm sure Kiriko-san will be able to fill any requests you have in that regard," Itachi interrupted. "I don't have the time to waste here." Saying that, Itachi disappeared with a puff of smoke.

"That's unfortunate," Suzumi pouted. "I think he could've really taught us some things."

Naruto walked up to Shiro. "Hey! I'm Naruto!"

The boy dressed in white looked up at Naruto with his eyes, before looking back down. Naruto frowned.

"Hello? Did you hear me? I said My. Name. Is. Naruto!" He made sweeping hand motions to emphasize his words.

"Hi, I'm Suzumi. You're a Hyuga, aren't you?" Suzumi asked as she approached. "I can tell from those eyes. No pupils."

Shiro looked up at Suzumi, and this time stared at her with his pale white eyes. He maintained eye contact for several moments, and it was Suzumi that averted her eyes.

"W-What?" she stammered out, blushing.

When, no reply came, Naruto let out a groan. "Great, not you too!"

Suzumi glanced to Naruto, grateful for any distraction from Shiro's stare. "Not him too what?"

"He's quiet! We've already got enough of that with Kiriko-sensei!"

"W-Well," Suzumi spoke, "I'm sure he's quite capable!"

Naruto glanced at the still silent Shiro. "Maybe, doesn't look like it though."

"Looks can be deceiving! Er, I mean, not that he looks incapable or anything…"

"Well, he better pull his weight. Otherwise he'll just drag us down."

_'Naruto!'_

Reimi's warning came too late for Naruto to react, and he suddenly found himself pinned to the floor, a foot pressing strongly onto his throat. Fighting through the pain, he looked up to see Shiro glaring down at him angrily.

"I doubt I'd be the person dragging us down."

Shiro glared down at Naruto with a fierce look on his face, and Naruto felt discomforted at its intensity. After a few moments of this, Shiro let go and back away. Naruto warily picked himself off the ground, patting dirt off of himself.

"So, you speak!" he said with false bravado. It was met with a glare that was filled with obvious heat. Naruto defiantly locked his eyes with Shiro's. They stayed like that for several seconds.

Coming up behind him, Suzumi snatched his ears and dragged him backwards. "What are you thinking, Naruto-kun! Being so rude to someone you just met! Really!"

"Ow ow ow!" Naruto hopped sideways as Suzumi pulled, trying to lessen the pain. "Sorry, sorry! I won't do it again!"

Letting go, Suzumi placed her hands on her hips. "You'd better not!"

Gripping his ear protectively, Naruto nodded meekly. _Geez, the heck is wrong with her? You'd think I killed her cat or something._

The sound of Kiriko unsheathing her sword turned Naruto's attention to her. His hand immediately drew a kunai, and he warily centered his mass. "We're doing this again today?"

"Wait! We can't do that now! I'm not fully healed yet!" Suzumi protested. "And besides, Shiro-san just got here! Shouldn't we give him some time to settle in?"

Shiro looked annoyed. "I'm fine."

Kiriko settled into a sword stance.

"Y-You aren't really going to attack, are you?" Suzumi said as she hurriedly pulled a kunai out.

Saying nothing in return, Kiriko stared at Suzumi, not moving from her stance. Similarly silent, Shiro was looking inquisitively at the girl. Suzumi looked both angered and embarrassed by the attention. "Hey! Stop staring at me!"

Naruto shook his head. _I knew it… These two together are going to be trouble…_ He felt a sudden shift in chakra, and jumped to the side as Kiriko's sword came down, biting into the earth where he had stood. "Woah, we're starting already?" He parried several attacks with his kunai before he was knocked a few feet back blocking a particularly forceful blow. A trio of paper shuriken flew at Kiriko, which she easily dodged before turning her attention to Suzumi.

"I'm much more prepared this time!" Suzumi said as she reached into her backpack. She pulled out a rolled up tube, and unfurled it in one sweeping motion, revealing that it was a large sheet of paper. "Finest grade quality paper, specially made!" Suzumi smiled and wrapped it around herself like a cloak. "There's no possibility of my losing with this!"

"The heck?" Naruto exclaimed as it aligned with her figure and disappeared from sight. "Where'd it go?"

Not waiting for an explanation, Kiriko leapt towards Suzumi and swung her sword. But before it could cut her, something moved and knocked the blade away. Kiriko stared at Suzumi with her blank face and then tried a few more times. Each strike was blocked away.

Suzumi's grinned widely. "Tenjou no Emon, nobody can touch me as long as it's on me!" She turned on her heel, and for an instant the cloak-like paper was faintly visible, before it disappeared along with Suzumi.

Holding her sword loosely at her side, Kiriko glanced around before raising her sword in a blocking motion. Suzumi appeared for a moment, wielding a large paper weapon that vaguely resembled an axe. Looking annoyed that her attack had been stopped, she faded from sight again.

_'…that's a useful ability,'_ Reimi commented. _'We should learn something that allows for invisibility…'_

"Eh, it's not really flashy enough though. It's gotta be cool and stuff, or it's not fun!"

_'Naruto…'_

"Hey! It's not my fault invisibility isn't flashy!" Before Reimi could protest further, he started towards Kiriko. "Can't stand around here forever! Gotta help out before I get yelled at!"

Throwing a swift barrage of kunai, Naruto charged at Kiriko. As she took care of the kunai, he came up under her guard and kicked. Kiriko deftly stepped out of the way grabbed his foot, and yanked him upwards. Then, with a quick thrust, she hit him away with the hilt of her sword. Reversing its motion, she brought her blade up behind her to block Suzumi's attack. Whirling around, Kiriko's arm blurred as she easily parried Suzumi's lightning fast strikes. Taking advantage of Kiriko's preoccupation, Naruto dashed back in from behind and tried to strike her head. The woman ANBU reacted quickly, taking hold of Naruto's outstretched fist and flinging him into the startled Suzumi. Landing in a tangle of limbs, both of them scrambled to get back to their feet.

"Shit, she's really strong! Even when we both go at her she still gets us!" Naruto looked to Shiro. "Hey! A bit of help would be great right about now!"

Shiro glanced at Naruto before promptly disappearing. Kiriko suddenly swung her sword just as Shiro reappeared next to her, preempting his attack and forcing him to block with his hands. Chakra lined his palms, protecting it from Kiriko's blade. Then he vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving a wooden log behind. He attacked from behind, aiming a thrust at Kiriko's back. She cut him with a lighting fast slash, but he vanished in a puff of smoke, a bunshin. In that same moment another Shiro came at her from the side, moving forward for an elbow strike. Before he could make contact though, she snap kicked him away, landing a painful blow to his stomach. He landed on his hands and feet, skidding backwards.

Barely a second had passed.

Naruto stared for a moment, before exploding. "Holy shit! He's fast! Did you see that, Suzumi? Did you see that?"

"He's so cool…" murmured Suzumi with a dazed expression.

Staring at the unresponsive girl, Naruto scowled. "Well, I could do better of course! Just that much is nothing!"

_'…liar,'_ Reimi said disbelievingly.

"I'll show you!" Naruto declared. "I won't lose to something like this!"

Suzumi snapped out of her daze. "You'll show… Hey wait! You're not going to do what I think you're doing, right? Don't, stop!"

It was too late. Naruto's hands blurred into motion, quickly forming hand seals. "Dai Bakuretsu Reppudan!"

The surrounding area exploded with a sudden force that tore the environment apart. Deep gouges were carved into the earth as the released wind crushed everything it came in contact with. The jutsu lasted only a few brief moments before abruptly stopping, leaving Naruto panting in the center of the destruction. "Haa… haa… haa…" he breathed heavily. "How'd you like that?"

_'…waste of chakra…idiot…'_

Suzumi reappeared close to him, dropping her invisibility. "I for one didn't like it at all! What's with you and randomly destructive jutsu?! You really need to learn jutsu that don't hurt your allies! And you didn't even hit anyone with that!" She pointed to Kiriko and Shiro, both standing at the edges of the destruction unscathed.

"What?! How'd they do that!"

"Of course it's not going to hit when you stand there making seals for so long!" Suzumi berated.

"What? Really? Then what's the point of a jutsu like that?"

"Probably for use when in enclosed spaces or when the target can't easily escape. Or rather, why are you even asking me? You're the one that learned it!"

"Hey, it's just a question!"

Suzumi glanced at Kiriko, who seemed content to wait for them to attack her. "More importantly, do we have a plan on how to beat her? Last time we tried we ended up in the hospital."

"Yeah, she's tough. Stronger than us," Naruto admitted. "But this time is different!"

"How so?"

Naruto pointed his finger at Shiro. "Because we've got him with us! Between the three of us we can do this easy!"

"That's right, huh!" Suzumi said, brightening up. "It's three against one this time! No matter how you look at it, we have the advantage!"

"Yeah! Hey you! The weird eyes guy!" Naruto called to the boy to get his attention. "Come over here! I've got a plan!"

Looking annoyed, Shiro quickly vanished and then reappeared next to Naruto. "If you have a plan, don't go announcing it to the enemy. It's counterproductive."

"Counterpro-whatsits? Well, whatever," Naruto shrugged to himself. "Okay, here's the plan. This is Kiriko." He drew a large circle in the dirt with a stick. Then he drew three smaller circles around it. "And these there are us! And then we do this!" He drew arrows from the smaller circles to the big circle.

"So… we just attack her? That's your plan?" Suzumi had a disbelieving look on her face.

"Yeah! It's a great plan, isn't it?"

"…You're an idiot," Shiro deadpanned.

"What's wrong with it? If we attack from three sides then BAM! We got her!"

"Well," Suzumi started thoughtfully. "It _is_ true that we shouldn't plan too heavily. Something about best laid plans and falling apart or however that saying went. But I think this plan is a bit too bare bones."

Naruto frowned. "Well, can anyone come up with a better plan then?"

"Not without more information," Shiro said.

"No ideas here," Suzumi shrugged. "I'm not exactly a very tactical minded person."

"Then this is what we're going with!" Naruto announced. "Let's move out!"

"Well, if we've got nothing better," Suzumi said, following after Naruto as he moved towards Kiriko. Shrugging to himself, Shiro followed a beat later.

They surrounded Kiriko, each staying just out of range of her sword. She watched them impassively, holding her sword loosely in both hands. Then as one they leapt at her, each aiming for a debilitating blow.

Suzumi, under her invisibility, was the first to be targeted. Kiriko swung her katana and struck the girl at an unreal speed – so fast Suzumi didn't even have time to react. "Slow…" Suzumi heard next to her ear right before she felt the blow. The large sheet of paper she had was the only thing that prevented her death. Suzumi fell to the ground, stunned from the impact.

After that Kiriko turned her attention to Naruto, her ponytail spiraling around her as she turned. The boy's blue eyes widened as he saw her vanish before his eyes. He had barely started to look for her when he felt a sword stab him in the side. "Too many openings…" said Kiriko as he overshot his target. Losing control of his motion, he crashed to the ground, not able to stop himself in time.

Finally, with only Shiro left, Kiriko swung her sword in a flash at him. He vanished in a puff of smoke as it passed through his body, and suddenly there were two of him on either side of Kiriko. Reacting quickly, Kiriko moved to take care of them, but a strip of paper suddenly wrapped itself around her wrists. Her arms fell as they changed composition and grew heavy. On the ground, Suzumi concentrated on holding Kiriko with a determined look on her face.

With her usual bland expression, Kiriko adjusted to the change in weight and hefted her sword to counterattack the twin strikes of both Shiro's. They spun out of the way and retreated a good distance before she could hit them. They settled into wary stances, both cautiously watching their target.

Kiriko stared at them, tilting her head to the side. "Kage Bunshin…?"

"You noticed? Well, you're Jounin after all."

They stared at each other for a few more moments. Then one of the Shiro's burst into action, rushing at Kiriko. The ANBU, the weighted paper still attached to her wrists, moved to meet the attack. The other Shiro used the momentary drag the additional weight caused her and rammed Kiriko. She managed to fend it off, but it put her off balance enough to set her up for the first Shiro's attack.

"Jyuken Hou: Hake Rokujuu Yonshou!"

In a blur of arms, Shiro struck out at Kiriko dozens of times in the span of a few seconds. A look of pure concentration was on his face as he methodically hit her with pinpoint precision. It was over quickly, and left Kiriko stumbling backwards.

"Did he get her?" Naruto asked as he painfully got to a crouching position, holding the wound at his side.

Suddenly Kiriko turned into a wooden log, and one of the Shiro's was dispelled in a cloud of smoke. The real Shiro barely lifted his chakra emitting hands up in time to block a chop to his head. Taking a few off-balanced steps backwards, he tried to regain his footing but Kiriko was relentless in her assault, pushing him until he was forced off balance and tripped. Kiriko pounced on his mistake and tried to run him through with her sword. A purple mass pulled Shiro out of the way just in time, and she ended up skewering the earth.

Naruto pulled out of his roll, Shiro next to him. "Whew, I got you in time!"

"…Thanks," Shiro mumbled awkwardly.

"This isn't exactly working out, is it?"

Suzumi limped over. "Exactly. We need a better plan. If we just attack her head on like that, we might as well check ourselves into the hospital."

The sound of metal against metal alerted them to Kiriko drawing another sword, this one a short blade with a large emerald embedded along its length. She cut the shackles binding her wrists with a quick twist before looking towards where the three kids stood.

Naruto gulped. "If you're gonna come up with a plan, better do it fast! I've got a feeling she isn't gonna wait anymore!"

**LineSkipHere**

"Why do I get the feeling we're just gonna end up in here every time we finish training?"

Suzumi looked upset. "Oh be quiet. Half my injuries this time resulted from your overzealous use of your jutsu, Naruto-kun!"

"Yes, I don't enjoy the thought of having to team up with you in the future," Shiro remarked. "Much too dangerous…"

"Everyone's picking on me!" Naruto pouted.

"Putting that aside, Tsubame-sensei is really strong," said Shiro thoughtfully. "I did not expect her to be holding back so much."

"Tsubame-sensei?"

"Kiriko-san," Suzumi answered. "At least learn the full name of your teacher, Naruto-kun."

"Oh yeah, Kiriko-sensei! When she took out that second sword, she got way strong, didn't she? I didn't know just holding another weapon made that much difference! Maybe I should get some swords too!"

"I don't think it works like that, Naruto-kun…"

"I wonder how strong Tsubame-sensei really is when she's serious."

"However strong she is, we'll get stronger and beat her!"

Shiro nodded. "Yeah, that's true isn't it?"

Looking at Shiro, Naruto seemed to come to a decision. "You're a good guy, Shiro! I like you!"

"Huh?"

Naruto nodded to himself, his arms crossed over his chest. "Yeah, I thought you were another quiet person like Kiriko-sensei, but more annoying and stupid."

Shiro twitched in his bed.

"But it turns out you're pretty cool! And strong!"

"Not strong enough yet if I can't beat Tsubame-sensei. I did all that but I couldn't even touch her."

A thoughtful look came over Suzumi's face. "That reminds me, why didn't you use the Byakugan? You're a Hyuga, right?"

"It was just training. I do not use the Byakugan when I fight my allies. I reserve it only for my enemies."

"I see. Makes sense."

"The Black Ink Gin? Huh?" Naruto looked confused. "What's that? Alcohol? Squid Alcohol?"

"…Are you doing that on purpose?" Suzumi asked. When all she got was a blank stare, she sighed and slumped her shoulders. "The Byakugan, the doujutsu of the Hyuga clan. It allows you to see everything around you. They use it in combination with their clan fighting style. I was asking why Shiro-san didn't use it. From what I understand it's actually harder to fight with the Jyuken without the Byakugan."

_'…I'll get you the information when we get home,'_ Reimi said, and Naruto nodded.

"Well, I should be getting going now," Suzumi said, glancing at the clock. "It's getting late, and if I want to be ready for tomorrow I have to get healed up again."

Glancing at his own wounds, a great deal lighter than every other person in the room, Shiro nodded his masked head. "Giving my wounds time to heal sounds like a good plan."

Naruto nodded, even though his injuries had long healed. "A break sounds great. We're gonna have to get beat up again tomorrow."

_'…why does it sound like you're looking forward to it?'_

**LineSkipHere**

Reimi walked into the library early in the morning, carrying a small pile of books in a large bag. It had been a few weeks since Naruto had started training with Kiriko, and because of his constant state of exhaustion, she had taken to going to the library herself. Walking up to the return counter, she placed her books onto the desk.

"Oh, good morning Reimi-chan!" Rhea greeted with a smile. She was seated at the desk, a computer in front of her. "You're returning these already? You're as fast a reader as always!"

"…I have a lot of free time."

Rhea took the books and typed a few things into the computer. "I'm sure you do! Being as young as you are, I mean. So? What did you think about the one I recommended?"

Reimi thought about it for a moment, recalling which one it was Rhea was talking about. "…it was interesting. …Parscellio's theorem on dimensional division was very unique."

"Yeah, I thought so too!" Rhea entered a few more things into the computer. "I don't think its correct – I agree with Joelle's theory more – but Parscellio's is still quite interesting!"

They talked for a while longer, enjoying empty quietness of the library. After talking for a good while, people started coming into the library and they had to stop.

Rhea got up from her chair to put Reimi's returned books into a crate. "I'm glad you started coming around. It's nice having someone to talk about this kind of stuff with. Books are that much more fun when you can discuss it!"

"…yes."

"So you're going to pick out your books now? Don't forget to see me before you leave. I've got a good book we can talk about later. It's a follow up to the book on parallel universes and the theory behind it, really interesting."

Reimi nodded. Someone came over to return books, and Reimi backed away to let Rhea do her job. She headed to the rows of shelves, perusing their contents. The sound of quiet chatter drew her attention from her task though, and she glanced over at where Rhea was conversing with a few other people.

'_She's a nice person, isn't she?'_

"Naruto…? You're awake?" Reimi turned her attention back to the shelf. "…yes, she's a good person."

A few minutes passed as Reimi picked out a few books. _'What time is it?'_ Naruto asked.

"….it's still early …we have a while before you are expected."

'_Ah, that's good.'_

A few more minutes passed, and Reimi chose some more books.

'_We haven't had much time to train alone recently, huh?'_ Naruto commented. _'Training with Kiriko-sensei is really tiring!'_

"…it's too rough… it's not training."

'_No way! It's great training!'_

"…you get sent to the hospital everyday."

'_Well, yeah. But I heal quick!'_

"…that's not a good reason to be beaten everyday."

'_But this is a good kind of beating!'_

"…masochist."

'_Maso-what? Doesn't that mean… Hey! That's not right!'_

Reimi allowed herself a small smile. Her arms were full of books now in a pile taller than she was. She took them to the counter where Rhea was just finishing with someone. Careful not to upset the tower, she shifted them onto the desk.

"You're getting all of these today, Reimi-chan?" Rhea asked as she started scanning the books. " Reimi nodded, and Rhea smiled. "I can never figure out when you find the time to read them all. Even if I spend all day reading, I could never get through that much. And I'm supposed to be a fast reader!"

Nodding, Reimi waited as her books were scanned. Rhea did it with ease of habit, and it wasn't long before she was done. Standing up, she looked at the giant pile of books, and then at Reimi's small body. "Well, I shouldn't let children do all the work. I'll help you load this all up!"

"…you don't have to," Reimi said, but didn't stop Rhea as the older girl took her bag and started putting the books in.

"Oh, don't be silly. When someone helps you like this, what you should be saying is 'Thanks'!"

"…thanks."

Reimi looked embarrassed, and she moved to help pack the books. Together the process went quickly and she was ready to leave in a short few minutes. She said her goodbyes, and left the library, carrying the heavy bag over her shoulder. Going at a decent pace, she walked until she was a distance away, and then ducked into an empty alley. She placed the bag of books on the ground, and then covered it with her long sleeved arms. When she removed them, the bag was gone.

'_Man that's useful,'_ Naruto praised. _'I wish I could do that.'_

Reimi shrugged. "…you have your own tricks." She glanced from side to side to make sure there wasn't anyone watching, and then morphed her body back to Naruto's.

"Nghhh!" Naruto groaned as he stretched his arms out. Working out the kinks in his muscles, he glanced up at the dawn sky. "Looks like it's almost time. I should get going if I don't want to be late!"

Naruto made his way to the training area, stopping to buy an apple from an overcharging vendor along the way. By the time he got there, he had already finished half of it.

"Hey, Suzumi! Shiro!" he greeted as he approached.

Suzumi turned to see him and smiled. "Good morning, Naruto-kun!"

"Naruto-san," Shiro greeted with a nod.

Coming to a stop next to them, Naruto grinned broadly at both of them "What are you two up to this morning?"

"Oh, Shiro-san and I were just talking! Right, Shiro-san?"

Shiro looked not at all happy, but nodded anyways.

Naruto studied Suzumi and Shiro with a serious expression, and then smiled. "You two seem to be getting along!"

"Yes! Of course!" Suzumi said happily. Next to her, Shiro's scowl deepened.

"That's great! Now we just have to wait for Kiriko-sensei to get here and-!" Suddenly Naruto whirled around brought a kunai up in time to block a sword. Kiriko stood there, looking down at him impassively.

"Kiriko-san!" Suzumi looked surprised at their teacher's sudden appearance.

"Heh, you can't catch me off guard that easily!" Naruto boasted.

Kiriko tilted her head to the side, and then delivered a snap kick into Naruto's stomach.

"Ooof!"

"You always do this every morning, Kiriko-san," Suzumi said. "Can't you do something different? We've been training for a while now you know…" A scroll landed at her feet, and she looked at Kiriko questioningly. "What's this?"

"…Mission."

"Huh?" Suzumi opened the scroll and read it. "Oh, wow! It's a mission! Shiro-san! Naruto-kun! We have a mission!"

"Really? What is it?" Naruto excitedly peered over Suzumi's shoulder, trying to get a better view. "A 'C' Rank mission? Awww, I was hoping for at least a 'B' Rank mission!"

"Well, we're still in training, right? They can't just send us on important missions until they know we're ready."

"I guess," Naruto grumbled. "At least it's a mission. What are we doing, anyways?"

"Looks like a standard bandit request. Take care of a group of thieves terrorizing the area, that kind of stuff."

"All right, cool! When are we leaving?"

Suzumi shrugged. "Kiriko-san?"

"…Today."

"What? Today? Oh, no, I'm not ready yet," Suzumi glanced around worriedly. "I-I have to get my travel gear!"

"Oh crap," Naruto realized. "I don't have any of my stuff either."

"...North gate… Three hours…" Kiriko said. Then she turned and walked away.

"Uh," Naruto spoke after a moment, looking a bit confused. "I guess we go get our stuff now?"

"R-Right. Get our stuff. I'll go get it!" Suzumi walked away to retrieve her travel gear.

Naruto started to leave but saw that Shiro wasn't moving. "Hey, Shiro, don't you have to get your stuff?"

"I'm already prepared," Shiro said, gesturing to a small pack at his side. "A good ninja is always prepared."

"That's true!" said Naruto. "I'll have to try to be more ready next time!" Naruto began to walk away before stopping again. "Hey, north gate in three hours, right?"

Shiro nodded.

"Thanks! See you then!"

Running off, Naruto slowed as soon as he was out of sight. "Well, even if I say that, I don't have to get anything. Bag please!"

_'…okay.'_

There was a little 'poof' sound and a pack appeared in Naruto's hands. "Thanks! that really is handy! I wish I could do it..."

_'…you already said that earlier.'_

"Oh, I did, didn't I?" Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Well, whatever. Now that I've got my stuff, all I have to do is figure out how to kill time!"

_'…library?'_

"Ramen!"

**LineSkipHere**

They met again exactly three hours later at the northern most gate of Konoha. Naruto was eagerly anticipating the trip out of the village, almost jumping out of his shoes.

Kiriko made a few gestures to the ninja at the opening with her hands. A few moments later the large gate opened, revealing the outside. Naruto ran out excitedly, glancing about. "All right! Our first mission, let's go!"

"Ugh," Suzumi groaned as Naruto ran around. "Don't do that. You're going to be all tired out later if you keep that up."

Shiro nodded. "If you waste energy now, you won't have enough when you need it."

"Ha! Don't worry, I have lots of energy to spare!"

"If you say so," Suzumi said, not sounding like she believed him.

"…We're going," said Kiriko.

Together they left Konoha, sticking to the main road. It was a clear day, and the sun shone warmly down upon them. Puddles pooled on the ground – it had rained the previous day – and it was less than ideal traveling conditions. But they made good time and had traveled a fair distance by the afternoon. Naruto's patience, however, quickly grew thin.

"Hey! How long will it take to get there? Where are we going anyways?"

"Didn't you see the scroll? We're going to Rice Country. A small village called Seirin close to the borders of Fire Country."

"Rice Country!" Naruto paused for a second. "Rice Country? Where's that?"

Suzumi groaned. "Ugh, you really don't know much, do you?"

_'…Rice Country, a nation on the northern border of Fire Country. Known for its rice exports, the country is economically strong, but has little military might.'_

Naruto repeated what Reimi told him.

"What, you already know?" Suzumi said, looking surprised. "If you knew, why did you ask?"

"Ahaha… I just kinda, you know…"

Suzumi gave Naruto a strange look. "Well, okay. Anyways, we crossed the border about an hour back. We'll probably be at our target location by the end of tomorrow. Then we spend four or so days there to take care of business, and then another two days back. A total of about eight days for this mission, though we were allotted a week and a half. There's a trade caravan coming through though, so if we hitch a ride on the way back way back we can cut our return time in half."

Naruto looked impressed. "Wow, Suzumi, you're really smart! Where'd you get all that information?"

"It's nothing," Suzumi preened. "For the Kamino clan, this much is easily done. Three hours was more than enough time."

"It was just a simple matter of looking at travel logs and shipments schedules, wasn't it?" Shiro asked.

"It wasn't!" bristled Suzumi. "I also had to check maps and cross reference them with weather patterns and road conditions! Not to mention the information on the bandit's whereabouts isn't available to just anyone!"

"You know where the bandits are too?" Naruto's impression of the girl went up a notch. "Where the heck do you get that kinda information?"

Suzumi straightened her back. "The Kamino clan prides itself in its ability to collect any and all information it wants. Knowledge is our currency, and we can buy whatever we want, whenever we want."

"Wait a sec. Didn't you say you're family does businesses or something?"

Looking a bit flustered, Suzumi nodded. "Er, yeah. We have lots of businesses."

A little suspicious, Naruto eyed Suzumi carefully before letting out a sigh. "Well, whatever. None of my business anyways."

Suzumi watched as Naruto increased his pace so he was walking up front next to Kiriko. Behind her, Shiro made a small laughing sound and Suzumi glanced back at him. "What's so funny?"

"Businesses? When has the Kamino clan ever dealt in any legitimate businesses?"

"Quiet," Suzumi said. "I'll not have you smearing the Kamino name in my presence. We have always dealt in perfectly legal businesses."

"Legal? In your eyes maybe."

"The Hokage has not expressed any displeasure in what we do."

"I'm sure he doesn't, as long as he doesn't know…"

Suzumi glared at Shiro. "Are you speaking ill of the Hokage? You dare insinuate that he is not cognizant of Konoha's dealings?"

"Of course not," Shiro said, looking affronted. "I'm merely stating a possibility."

"Well, be sure to keep such thoughts to yourself in the future. You may find yourself in more trouble than it's worth." Saying that, Suzumi walked faster to catch up with Naruto and Kiriko who had moved some distance away. Shiro stared at Suzumi's back as she started chatting with Naruto, his eyes narrowing..

"Kamino SuzumiI wonder how trustworthy you actually are…"

**LineSkipHere**

Night came and they made camp in a small clearing beside the road. An empty pot stood next to a softly burning campfire – the remnants of their dinner. It was late, and Suzumi had already gone to sleep, with Shiro getting about there as well. Kiriko and Naruto still sat on opposite sides of the fire, watching its burning flames.

Naruto looked to his teacher. "Kiriko-sensei, I can take night watch you know."

Kiriko slowly shook her head.

"You want to take it?"

She gave a slow nod.

"But I don't sleep a lot. I can stay up all night if you want me to." _More like either me or Reimi's always awake but…_

She shook her head again.

"C'mon, I wanna. It'll be a good experience for me."

Kiriko hesitated, but shook her head.

"Please? I'll wake you up when I start to get tired or something."

She didn't move for a moment, before giving a slight nod. Sliding into her Sleeping bag, she settled in for the night. Naruto waited a few minutes until he was sure she was asleep. Then he allowed himself to relax. "That took a while, I thought she would never go to sleep."

_'…sorry. Because I wanted to read…'_

"Nah, it's fine. Besides, it means everyone gets some rest. I'm sure no one will complain about that." Naruto yawned widely. "I'm getting tired, you're up."

Shutting his eyes, Naruto allowed himself to drift off where he sat. A moment later, Reimi stood up and walked to the campfire. From her sleeves she produced a small stool, and she placed it next to the fire. Sitting down upon it, she pulled a book from her kimono and opened it to the first page.

She didn't read though. Instead, she looked over at Naruto's sleeping team members. She watched them for several minutes, not doing anything else. Then, setting her book to the side, she stood and walked over to where Kiriko lay. Standing there, she stared at the woman. _…this is the person that will teach Naruto? Is she good enough…?_

Reimi palmed a kunai and raised it above Kiriko's head, holding it with both hands. _If I try to kill her now… would she react?_ She stayed poised to strike down for several long moments. Kiriko didn't react, remaining unmoving in her slumber. A few more moments passed. Then, without a sound, Reimi turned and walked back to her stool, her kunai disappearing back up her sleeves.

_…I can't be hasty… If I kill her and I'm wrong…_

Picking up her book again, she looked back over at Kiriko. Shaking her head, she reopened her book and started reading.

**LineSkipHere**

Sarutobi carefully glanced over the document in front of him before signing it. Moving to the side, he took another one from the top of a small pile. It was a daily chore, and it was almost second nature to him as he read and signed it with a practiced hand.

The door opened, interrupting his work. He looked up to see a white cloaked ANBU storming in. The ANBU pulled a file folder from within his cloak and threw it onto his desk. "Read it," he demanded.

Eyeing the ANBU, Sarutobi slowly reached out and took the folder. Opening it, he flipped through it, his face growing grimmer with each page he read. He looked back up at the ANBU. "I did not authorize this."

The ANBU nodded. "I thought not. It begs the question though – who put such a thing through, and for what reason."

"A more pressing matter is what we should do about it," the Hokage said solemnly. "By itself, it wouldn't be so troubling. But taken with the fact it did not pass through either of us, I cannot help but think there is something more happening than meets the eye."

"I do not like this. The thought that someone is operating right under our noses… I can only think of one person with that kind of influence."

The Hokage nodded gravely. "I shall launch a discrete investigation of his recent actions. Until that pans out, we should do something about the current situation."

"I shall send a team to assist right away."

"Good. Take the time to make sure none of them will betray us though. It wouldn't do for us to send help to the wrong side."

"Exactly."

The Hokage let out a weary sigh. "I hope this doesn't turn into a disaster."

There a pause, and then the ANBU spoke up solemnly. "…That's exactly what it seems to be shaping up into."

**LineSkipHere**

Suzumi sat up in her sleeping bag, having just awoken. Looking around, she saw that she was the first to awake besides Naruto, who was tending to the campfire. Groggily walking over, she sat down on a log next to him. "Good morning."

"Morning," he replied without taking his eyes off the fire as he stoked it with a long stick. "You're up early."

"Not as early as you. I'm not used to anyone waking up earlier than me." Suzumi glanced up at the still almost-dark sky. "What did you do? Stay up all night?"

"Something like that."

They sat there for several moments, the crackling fire the only sound heard. Suzumi looked to Naruto, and raised her eyebrows. "Naruto-kun, where did that stool come from?"

Naruto looked down at the stool in surprise. "Uh, I brought it with me. From Konoha."

"You brought a stool with you," Suzumi said with a deadpan tone. "Seriously?"

"Yeah! I brought a stool with me! Something wrong with that?"

Suzumi stared. "You're strange, you know that?"

"Ahahaha…." _Stupid Reimi…_

There was a sound and the pair turned to see Kiriko getting up. She looked at them, her eyes immediately zeroing in on the stool. A few moments passed as she stared at it, before her gaze went to Naruto. A small smile came to her face, before she turned to put away her sleeping bag.

"Did… Did Kiriko-san just smile? Oh my god, and I thought she didn't have any expressions at all!"

"Somehow… I think you're insulting her," said Naruto.

"Exactly!"

"Right…"

"You guys are so loud in the morning," Shiro muttered crankily as he sat up.

Suzumi flushed with embarrassment, "Oh, sorry Shiro-san! Did we disturb you?"

Shooting a glare at them, Shiro turned and set about packing his things. "Whatever, I don't care. Pack your things, we don't want to dawdle here." His gaze found the stool and he stared for a moment. "Was that there yesterday…?" He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I shouldn't have stayed up late last night…"

"Stupid Reimi and her stools," Naruto grumbled to himself.

_'Sorry…'_

"Did you say something?" Suzumi asked curiously.

"Ah, no! Nothing."

**LineSkipHere**

After packing up, they resumed their journey. The sky was clear and the air clean, and they ended up making good time, arriving at their destination just as the afternoon sun was at its brightest.

It was a small town, with simple looking houses scattered about in a vaguely ordered fashion. People stared out the windows warily, ducking from view when they were looked at. There weren't many people on the streets, leaving it feeling empty and abandoned.

"The heck is going on here?" Naruto asked.

"They're scared of something," said Suzumi as she slipped paper from her pockets as a precaution.

They made their way to the edge of town, trying their best to ignore the stares that they could feel on them. It wasn't long before they reached their destination – an old dilapidated house at the edge of town. A plump, pleasant looking man with a graying mustache rushed out to meet them.

"Yes, yes, greetings travelers. Are you looking for a place to stay?" Naruto noted the man made a strange gesture with his hand.

Kiriko stepped forward and made a similarly strange gesture. "…a place of refuge if possible."

Naruto stared at Kiriko. _That's gotta be the longest phrase I've ever heard from her… some kind of code?_

"Yes, yes, very good then," the man said, apparently satisfied with something. "Please, please! Come with me, you're scaring all the villagers. Things are not calm around these parts of late."

They followed the man into the building. Inside was a simple room with only a bed, table and dresser. There weren't even any chairs for the table.

Naruto wrinkled his nose. "What's this crappy looking place."

_'Naruto…'_

"Naruto-kun!"

"What?"

"Ha ha ha," the man laughed. "No no, it's fine. It's supposed to look like that anyways. Here, this is where you'll be staying." He moved the table to the side and reached to the floor, pulling upwards at a hidden trap door. It opened revealing a long passageway leading downwards. The man started down, then stopped and turned when no one followed. "Come, come! We can't be talking about sensitive matters in such an open place after all!"

The passage led to a large, well-furnished room. One wall had a shelf that was filled to the brim with scrolls and books. On the opposite wall a vast assortment of different weapons hung imposingly. All the furniture was made of steel, and was arranged so intruders would have difficulty rushing in. It was obvious that whoever built the room had built it with combat in mind.

Naruto looked around. "Man, this place is really awesome! I've never seen so many weapons in one place in my entire life!"

"It certainly is an impressive collection," Suzumi commented. "I wonder whether my grandfather's collection is bigger…" She walked over and picked one sword off the wall. "This sword… It's incredibly high quality!"

"My, my! You certainly have a good eye!" The fat man walked over at took the sword from Suzumi's hands. "This is the sword used by the first Mizukage himself! The Suiran sword! Forged by the best blacksmiths of the time, it's the product of several decades of blood and sweat!"

"That's fairly impressive, um…" Suzumi trailed off.

"I'm Urano Genichiro. I'm the Coordinator for this area. Didn't your squad leader tell you?"

Suzumi glanced at Kiriko. "Well, I did read the mission report but…"

"I see, I see," Genichiro said, following Suzumi's gaze. "You must be Tsubame Kiriko, correct?"

Kiriko nodded.

"Yes, yes. I'm so glad you came. I didn't expect anyone would pick up such a simple mission for weeks. Truth be told, I would've rather you'd come sooner. Bandits have settled in the area. And while they haven't struck here yet, they're causing the villagers not a slight amount of fright. Plundering, pillaging, murder; they're not a good lot. And to make things worse, some of the younger, more unruly villagers have gone and joined them. It's got people suspecting their neighbors, families distrusting their friends. It isn't good for the citizens of the Land of Fire to be in such conditions. Not good at all."

Suzumi frowned. "Wait, bandits? This sounds like a mission that would usually go to a Genin team. Why are we here?"

Genichiro took out a handkerchief and wiped non-existent sweat from his brow. "Well, I've heard things, see. They've got some missing nin mixed in with them. Ninja who've abandoned their villages. There aren't that many, but it's still a formidable bunch. Safer for an ANBU team to go in and wipe them out than some green Genin and their Jounin teacher."

"Doesn't sound much different than what we are," Naruto muttered.

"We're a step above Genin, don't you think?" Suzumi glanced around, a frown forming on her face. "Wait, where's Shiro-san? Didn't he come down with us?"

Looking around, Naruto shrugged. "Dunno, I don't think I saw him come down though."

"…Scouting," Kiriko said.

"Huh? You mean you sent him out scouting?"

Kiriko nodded.

"Well, well. Since it seems one of your number isn't with us, why don't I put off giving you the information until he's back. How about you get your gear set up while we wait. Here, down this hall. Any of the rooms will do."

Naruto and Suzumi moved to take their gear into the rooms Genichiro showed them, leaving the fat man alone with Kiriko. He looked at her and pulled a scroll from his pockets. "And as for your own mission, Tsubame-san., here."

Taking the scroll, Kiriko unfurled it and started reading.

"One of the missing nin happens to be from Konoha," Genichiro explained. "He has in his possession extremely sensitive information, as well as several classified scrolls he stole. Your mission is to capture him and retrieve the scrolls. Terminate him if that's not possible."

Rolling the scroll back up, Kiriko nodded and turned to leave. But before she could take a step, Genichiro caught her by her wrist, causing her to look back at him.

"This mission takes precedent over everything else," he said sternly. "If certain people have to be… sacrificed for the sake of its completion, I'm sure it will be overlooked. Accidents do happen, after all. And if one happens to befall the demon brat…"

Genichiro suddenly found himself on the ground, a sword pointed at his throat. "Wha-What is the meaning of this, Tsubame Kiriko! You… You're defending the demon? It's a monster! Who knows when it will awaken and destroy Konoha! And I've read your records! You of all people should have a reason to hate him!"

Kiriko's sword stayed pointed at Genichiro for several more moments, before she withdrew it. She stared at the portly man as he hastily stood up, straightening his ruffled clothing.

"S-So! We have an understanding then?" Genichiro said, puffing his chest out.

Kiriko's eyes wandered upwards, studying the ceiling for a few seconds. Then, without a backwards glance, she turned away and headed towards the passage leading upwards.

"H-Hey, wait!" Genichiro yelled before she could leave. "What about the mission?"

The woman ANBU stopped walking. She turned her head slightly so she could see the fat man from the corner of her eyes.

"…Accepted."

**LineSkipHere**

Naruto carefully leaned onto a tree branch, craning his neck to peer around. It was the next morning and they had been sent out to survey the enemy. Below him a large camp was setup, with rough looking men crowding around fires eating breakfast. Naruto raised a hand to his ear to press the radio hanging there. "This is Alpha Two. Targets sighted."

There was a slight crackle, and then Suzumi's voice came over the radio. "This is Alpha Three. I'm in position. Multiple hostiles approaching, permission to engage."

"Negative," Shiro said. "Avoid detection. Operation is not scheduled to commence until tomorrow, like Tsubame-sensei said. Don't make a mess of things."

"Roger that. Relocating to point B-4."

"But man," Naruto complained. "Why did we have to wake up so early to look at these guys? I mean, it's like a complete waste of time! That fat guy already gave us maps and everything!"

"Getting a feel for the area yourself is always a good idea," Suzumi said. "And don't call Genichiro-san 'that fat guy'. It's rude!"

"Well, he _is_ fat!"

"Even if he is, you don't go around saying it!"

"Quiet, you two!" came Shiro's voice over the radio. "This is supposed to be recon, not a decoy mission."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Naruto stayed up in the trees for a while longer. He quickly became bored and his mind wandered from his task. "This is so boring."

_'…book?'_ Reimi suggested hopefully.

"My ass I'm going to read. That's an even bigger waste of time!"

_'…it is not…'_

A spike of chakra caught his attention and he looked over at the camp. At the center where a large tent was erected a lone ninja had just appeared with a puff of smoke. Looking around, the ninja entered the tent. Naruto pressed the switch on his radio. "Alpha Two here. Unknown ninja entering enemy headquarters."

"Roger that, I see him too," Suzumi reported. "He had a Konoha forehead protector, he's one of ours."

"A traitor?" Shiro asked.

Naruto frowned. "I dunno. Maybe."

"He could be here on another mission unrelated to ours," suggested Suzumi.

"Unlikely," Shiro said. "We would've received reports, regardless of how top secret it was. It's standard operating procedure to prevent accidents. Perhaps Tsubame-sensei knows?"

"If she knows, good luck getting it out of her with as much as she talks," Suzumi grumbled.

_'Naruto… haven't we seen him before?'_

Naruto shut off the microphone of his headset. "Seen him? Where?"

_'…not sure… maybe if I had a better view…'_

As if on queue, the ninja exited the tent. Lighting a cigarette, he turned around so he was facing Naruto. Realization dawned on Naruto as he placed the ninja's face at the same time as Reimi.

_'…Naruto, that's…'_

"Yeah, the man from the ANBU test. The one that got away after trying to kill me." Naruto furrowed his brows. "What's he doing here…"

_'…the others…?'_

Naruto shook his head. "No, they don't need to know. This likely has to do with the Kyubi, which means it's my responsibility. They don't need to get involved."

_'…Naruto…'_

"Naruto-kun, you there?"

"Suzumi? Oh yeah, sorry. Kinda lost in thought there. What's up?"

"I was just asking if you still had visual. I lost sight of the ninja."

Glancing over at the tent, Naruto saw that the ninja was gone. "He must've left, I don't see him there anymore."

"I see…" There was a slight pause. "Are you okay? You sound a bit odd."

"Nothing, I'm fine," Naruto said.

"Well, if you say so…"

Naruto nodded to himself, turning off his radio again. "I'm fine… just fine…"

**LineSkipHere**

Naruto frowned thoughtfully as he walked through the village. He had made an excuse to be by himself after they had finished surveying the camp. It wasn't often he wanted to be alone, but the events of the day weighed rather heavily on his mind.

The people of the village were still wary of him, ducking out of sight when he approached. Several bolder kids glared at him defiantly before being ushered away by their concerned parents. A particularly senile seeming old lady had yelled at him, calling him a 'no good bandit' and 'thieving spy'. He ignored them all. His mind occupied with the at the bandit camp.

"Gah!" he groaned, holding his head with his hands. "Why? Why does that guy have to be there? And it's my first mission too!"

_'Naruto…'_

"No, it's fine. It's not like I expected everything to be smooth sailing. I just kinda hoped things would start going right, you know?"

_'…we'll be fine.'_

"Yeah, I know that! It's just kinda frustrating. My problems from Konoha followed me all the way out here. It's gonna cause problems for my team."

_'…we don't know if that's why he's here.'_

"But we can't say it's not. And somehow I think that's just what he's here about. It's too much of a coincidence. If only he'd just keel over and die or something."

_'I see…'_

Naruto's stomach growled. "Eh, getting hungry. I wonder if they've got ramen around here…"

He walked around town, looking for a place to eat. Most of the stores were closed, and the villagers shied from him when he approached. It was only after a while of searching that he found a small restaurant open at the edge of the town. Walking in, he was seated by a young looking waiter at a table in a corner. He was the only one in the store, and the employees looked surprised to see him. Opening the menu, he looked at the prices.

"So? How's our expenses this month? Can I splurge a bit on a meal?"

Reimi took a moment to answer. _'…adding the money saved from last month… subtract living expenses… food, electricity, gas… monthly check…'_ She quickly added the numbers in her head before giving her answer. _'…yes, we can spare a bit.'_

Naruto grinned. "Great!" He waved the waiter over and proceeded to order a dozen bowls of ramen. The waiter gave him a weird look, but took the order after Naruto showed him he could pay. A little while later, the waiter brought over the first bowl. Naruto picked up his chopsticks.

"Itadakimsu!"

He ate quickly, and it was only moments later that he was finishing up the noodles. The waiter walked by and his eyes almost bugged out when he saw the empty bowl. After rubbing his eyes a few times, the waiter walked into the kitchen. A few seconds later, he came out with another bowl.

"You eat quickly," he said conversationally as he set the ramen in front of Naruto.

"Heh heh," Naruto laughed sheepishly. "Yeah well, what can I say? I like ramen!"

The waiter raised an eyebrow. "You must like it a _lot_!" With a shake of his head, the waiter walked off, looking slightly amused.

Naruto frowned. "Do I really eat that much?"

_'…I've been telling you that for years…'_

"Yeah, but, it's you, you know? I always figured you were trying to save money or something…" He felt annoyance from Reimi. "Er, that is, it's a good thing to save money! And it's not like I don't trust you or nothing! I was just suspicious! I mean, uh…" Naruto furrowed his brows in frustration. "Yeah, I'll shut up now."

He quietly finished his next bowl and the bowl after that. The few staff that were at the restaurant had come out to watch him eat, and pretty soon a sizable group had gathered around him. He ignored their blatant stares as he ate bowls and bowls of ramen that the waiter continued to bring out. When he finished off his twelfth bowl, the waiter still brought out another one.

"I ordered twelve," Naruto said. "That's thirteen, you're giving me too many."

The waiter shrugged, gesturing towards a well-built man in the corner. "It's on the house. The manager says he hasn't seen anyone eat as much as you have. Says your enthusiasm deserves to be rewarded." He smiled. "Really, you do eat a lot, especially for someone your size! It's impressive!"

"Er, okay…" Naruto stared as the waiter walked away. "Wow, I never knew eating could make you popular! Kinda feels weird!"

_'…is it poisoned? The last time someone gave us something free…'_

Naruo stiffened. "They wouldn't do that here… would they? We're pretty far from Konoha and stuff…"

Reimi didn't immediately answer. Instead, Naruto felt her take control of his hands, quietly moving them under the table where it was out of sight. "Hey, what?!"

_'…quiet… I'm checking for poisons…'_

Naruto's hands quickly went through a series of hand seals. A surge of chakra passed through his limbs, and his hands briefly glowed yellow.

"What does that mean?"

_'…no poison.'_

"Well, duh! There's no one out here who even knows me… Why would anyone here want to kill me?" Naruto said this, but was visibly relieved. "Of course there's no one out here… why would there be…?"

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he started into his food again with fervor. He devoured the noodles in a few gulping bites, and then lifted the bowl to down the soup. When he finished, he made a satisfied sound as he set the bowl on the table. "Gojisousama!"

As if on queue, the people gathered around him started clapping. Surprised, Naruto flushed with embarrassment and took a slight bow. The waiter came around again to give him his check.

"Are you going to come back tomorrow?" the waiter asked as Naruto paid. "We don't really have much to do these days, what with the bandits and all. Watching you eat is the most exciting it's gotten around here in a while. And actually getting paid is pretty good too."

Naruto grinned at the waiter as he stood to leave. "I won't be here long, but I'll be sure to come back! And I don't think the bandits will be a problem for much longer."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"Oh, nothing!"

Leaving the bewildered waiter behind, Naruto walked out of the building. He walked for a little while before pausing, glancing behind him.

_'…what's wrong?'_

Naruto frowned. "I think someone was following us, but I don't sense him anymore."

_'…a ninja?'_

"No, not a ninja. Didn't feel like one. Maybe it was just a curious civilian?"

_'…that could avoid being detected by you?'_

"Yeah, you're right. It wasn't a normal person. But whoever it was, he's long gone now. No point in looking."

_'…if you say so. We should probably take the long way back just in case…'_

Nodding, Naruto started off in a random direction. "Well, I'll be working off my meal earlier than I thought, I guess."

As he walked away, a girl stepped out from behind a nearby tree, an interested look on her face. She brushed strands of her messy black hair from her eyes as she stared after his retreating back.

"So that's a ninja… Interesting."

**LineSkipHere**

Kiriko stood alone in the forest just outside of the village. She held one of her swords – a broad bladed sword with several metal rings down its middle – by its handle, staring at its polished surface. She had been standing there alone for several hours now. And though it was nearing midnight, returning back to the village was nowhere in her thoughts.

_Kyuubi…_

She had seen the demon fox up close when she was little, having gotten lost in the chaos that was its rampage. It was a giant beast, radiating its intent to kill anything and everything in its vicinity. Many ninja died against it, not able to even injure the giant chakra construct. Her own parents had died in the battle – she had seen them destroyed with a simple sweep of its tail. It was a horrible memory that terrified her still.

She swung her sword in a blur, slicing a falling leaf into tiny pieces before it fell to the ground. She returned her sword to a ready position, breathing in, and then out.

It was her first assignment that allowed her to take charge of anything. She vaguely recognized that her encounter with the Kyuubi had shattered her mind, and on some level understood the reason why she'd never before been allowed to take command. She didn't really care though – it was much too hard for her to hold a thought for her to care. She did know that she was expected to teach and mold them. And though she wasn't entirely sure she knew how to do that, she would try her best. Just like what her teacher had done with her.

Her teacher had been an old retired ninja; A veteran of two wars with many kills under his belt. He had planned on distancing himself from ninja's altogether, seeking a more peaceful life to retire to. But upon seeing Kiriko in the orphanage in her near comatose state, he changed his mind. Training her in his sword arts, he had taught her everything he knew and then some. And then, after making sure she had a place in ANBU, he had died.

The wind blew lightly and her blade flashed out again, cutting yet another falling leaf.

His death had hit her hard, and left her at loss as to what to do. She had stolen into his house, refusing to come out. It wasn't until her position as an ANBU was put into jeopardy that she snapped herself out of her daze. She couldn't let what her teacher had worked so hard to obtain for her to slip away after all.

An owl hooted in the night, drawing her attention to it. She focused her keen eyes at it, seeing it clearly even though it was pitch dark. Her senses had been honed to a fine edge by her teacher, and were more capable than the average person's. She started towards the owl, fascinated by it. Seeing her approach, it twisted its head horizontally, staring at her. Then, with another hoot, it took to the air. Kiriko watched as it flew into the darkness, beyond what she could see. Then, with a casual air, she struck her sword out again at another leaf.

_…Naruto_

Though she had been young when it had happened, she knew exactly what was sealed into the boy. It was easy for her mind, and disconnected as it was, to make the connection between the boy and the Kyuubi. It was primal fear – the will not to die. An animal-like instinct that triggered her fight or flight instincts every time she saw him.

_Konoha…_

She had been born in the ninja village, and raised there. Ninja life was the only life she knew, and the only life she cared for. If she were asked to lay down that life to protect Konoha, she would do it without hesitation. The Hokage she knew as a kind old man that was very generous with his protection. She respected him a lot, and executed his every order to the letter. In a way she saw him like her deceased teacher, with his craggily old face and kind eyes.

She slashed into the air, this time cutting two leaves with one stroke.

Her mind drifted back to Naruto. Despite her fears, she found herself drawn to the boy. There was something about him that attracted her to him, like a moth to a flame. When she looked at him, she recognized something, though she couldn't put a name to it. She thought it may have been her maternal instincts, but that didn't feel right. Many possibilities crossed her mind, each less probable than the last. And in the end, her lack of understanding made him all the more fascinating.

Again her mind wandered, this time to what Genichiro had said to her the day before. Genichiro's words carried some truth in it. Naruto was a wild card in many senses. He was a living human who could wield enormous power. There was potential in him to become one of Konoha's greatest heroes. But at the same time, the threat of the Kyuubi always loomed just beyond. Would it be the right decision to leave him alive?

Or would killing him be safer?

A beam of moonlight came through the foliage, illuminating Kiriko. She looked up at it, her eyes slightly glassy. She didn't like thinking so much. It was stressful, and she could almost feel her psyche fraying at the edges. The beginnings of a headache began to dully pain her, and she squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she saw a little girl standing before her.

"You…"

The girl smiled brilliantly, bobbing her black haired head as she performed a small, ineloquent curtsey. "Hi! I've been wanting to see you sooo much, Kiriko-chan!" She continued to grin as Kiriko watched her impassively.

"…You…"

"Yes, me! You're cute little sidekick!"

The small girl twirled around gaily, the skirt of her frilly dress swirling about her. Almost dancing, she made small hops around Kiriko until she was directly behind the older woman. She reached behind her as if reaching for something, and Kiriko instantly turned around, holding her sword in a defensive guard. The little girl shot an annoyed look at Kiriko.

"What? You still don't trust me after all this time?" The girl pulled a large, oversized paintbrush out and waved it in the air. "Seriously, you think I can even hurt you like this?"

Kiriko didn't move for a moment. Then she slowly lowered her sword, and then sheathed it. The little girl smiled. "Good girl!"

"…Why?"

"Why am I here? Well, I'm here because of why I'm always here! To play!"

Kiriko turned to leave.

"Ah! No, wait! Don't go!" The little girl ran in front of Kiriko with a panicked expression, her arms spread in a blocking motion. "I'll be serious, so don't just leave me!" When Kiriko didn't leave for several moments, the girl hefted a sigh of relief. "Don't scare me like that! Really, just going off like that. What am I going to do with you!"

Saying nothing, Kiriko just stood there.

"Well, anyways," the little girl continued, "you're worried about what to do with that Naruto kid, right? Do you like him?"

A few moments passed before Kiriko nodded.

"Well, there's your answer, right?"

Kiriko didn't respond.

"What, you're that worried about the demon? It is a rather big problem, isn't it?" The little girl considered the matter for a few moments. "Well, let's ask this question. Why did you volunteer to take Naruto-san on as a student?" A cross look came over her face when the older woman didn't answer. "You don't know?"

Kiriko nodded.

"That's problematic…" The little girl frowned for a bit, and then nodded to herself. "Okay, here's what we'll do. We'll watch him for the duration of the mission. If he shows any sign of becoming a problem, we have him done in. If he's fine, then there's no problem!" Another frown sullied the girl's cute face. "You really should realize why exactly you're so fond of him, though. If you don't, there's gonna be problems."

A moment later, the little girl was gone, leaving Kiriko standing there alone. She looked at her hands, her expression blanker than usual. The dull ache in her head was gone now, leaving an empty sensation. She hugged herself to fight off a sudden numbness.

…_I'm lost… Sensei…_

The trees rustled as a cold wind blew through the forest. When it stopped, Kiriko was gone.

**LineSkipHere**

Souju landed in a crouch on the side of a tree, sticking to it with carefully applied chakra. A moment later, two other ninja, both ANBU, landed beside him. They had masks on, the larger built one an ox and the smaller one a falcon. The falcon masked ANBU cast a questioning glance at Souju.

"Some ninja have been through here," Souju said, gesturing at branch. On it were minor scuff marks that were barely visible.

"Ninja?" the falcon masked ANBU asked. "Are you sure, Souju-kun?"

"Positive."

The ox masked ANBU moved to take a closer look. "He's right, Inoichi," he said in a slow, even tone. "These are definitely ninja made. No way an animal could do this." He looked approvingly at Souju. "You're good, kid. Especially for a newbie."

A third ANBU appeared next to them – this one wearing a deer mask. "What's the hold up?"

"Shikaku. The kid found these marks," Inoichi said from beneath his falcon mask. "He figures they might be ninja."

Shikaku examined the branch. "These are made by ninja all right. Which begs the question, why are they here?"

"Cheaper ninjas from other countries?" Souju asked.

"No," Shikaku shook his head. "Fire Country is the closest to Rice Country. Any other ninja village would charge more just because of the sheer distance. And there's no way they would be headed this way – from Konoha to Rice Country. There are only a few reasonable explanations for this."

"Enemy ninja," Inoichi growled out. "It's always enemy ninja. Probably Mist ninja from what I can tell."

The ox masked ANBU took another look at the marks. "My guess would be Grass ninja. They do that chakra exercise with the fields and it leaves that kind of imprint."

Inoichi shrugged. "You're probably right, Chouza. You've always been better at reading this stuff."

"Whatever the case, it isn't good for us," Shikaku said. "We'd better be on our guard."

"And pick up our pace," Souju added with a steely glint in his eyes. "We're supposed to be reinforcements for them. If we get there and they're already dead, then we've already failed."

"Indeed," Shikaku said gravely. He looked up at the night sky. "If we keep moving, we should be there by noon tomorrow. Let's hurry up."

In a flash, they were moving through the trees again. Souju reached into his vest and pulled out his own mask – one with the shape of an otter. _Naruto… Suzumi… I hope I'm not too late…_

**LineSkipHere**

Reimi walked about the small town, taking note of various landmarks and locations. She'd been at it all night, struggling to see with only the pale moon for light. But nevertheless, she painstakingly committed every nook and cranny to memory. She didn't think it would be necessary, but if anything happened she wanted to know where she could hide. Naruto's safety was something she took very seriously, and that kind of knowledge had come in handy more than once in Konoha.

She had memorized nearly four-fifths of the town now, and was looking about the eastern edge. There was a small mill there that looked like it had been abandoned. The wheel of the mill was still working though, still spinning slowly as it was pushed by the powerful current of the river. Interested in it, she walked over to watch it turn around and around.

_…nothing like this in Konoha…_

Voices alerted her to people coming towards her and she ducked into a nearby shed to avoid being seen. Peeking out of a small hole in the wood, she could vaguely see two men walking towards the mill. _…what are they doing here this late…?_

"I still don't think we should do this," one of them said, sounding very nervous. "I mean, we live here! What'll we do if they find out we helped?"

"Shut up, it's too late to back out anyways. They know who we are already!" his companion said. "What do you think will happen if we don't do this? Huh!"

"…Let us go?"

"No, you idiot! They'll tell everyone what we were gonna do! And then…" The second person leaned in to whisper something into the first person's ear, causing the first person to recoil as if struck.

"They wouldn't really, would they?"

"God you're an idiot!" The second person hit the first over the head. "Why wouldn't they? What do you think they do for a living! Huh!"

"Uh… I dunno?"

The second person let out a groan. "Ugh! I give up! C'mon, let's just do what we came here to do. We don't have too long to waste anyways."

Reimi heard their footsteps approach the shed she was hiding in, and she quickly sunk into the ground. She couldn't see them from underneath the earth, but she could still hear their muffled footsteps. One of them said something, though she couldn't quite make it out, and the other replied. They argued about something before leaving the shed.

Rising just enough so she could see above ground, Reimi looked around. The two men were gone, and they had taken some tools that had been in the shed with them. Coming up fully out of the ground, Reimi brushed the dirt from her clothing. _…what was that? Are they doing something illegal…?_

Looking out of the shed, she saw them sawing at a large tree. She watched them for a few minutes. _They're… cutting a tree? That's it…?_ Slightly disappointed, Reimi started to walk away.

'_Huh? Where are we?_'

"You're awake, Naruto?"

'_Yeah, but… aren't we supposed to be back at Genichiro's house? They said that we were having a meeting this morning…'_

Reimi froze mid-step, almost tripping over herself. She glanced over at where the sun was just beginning to rise, signaling the beginning of a new day.

'…_you do realize what time it is, right? Don't tell me you lost track of it again?'_

"Um… that is to say I…"

'_You forgot. Great,'_ Naruto sounded resigned, and Reimi bowed her head slightly.

"…Sorry…"

'_Yeah well, whatever. Nothing we can do now. Hurry up and switch. If I use that jutsu we should be fine.'_

Nodding, Reimi complied and did as she was told. She let her consciousness slide back, and felt Naruto take its place. A moment later Naruto was busily making hand seals.

"Fuusoku Kaishin."

Naruto's body started to blur, seeming to come apart at the edges. A moment later, his image came apart and floated apart, scattering into smaller pieces until no trace of him could be seen. A morning breeze blew through the now unoccupied street.

**LineSkipHere**

Suzumi rubbed the sleep from her eyes, sitting upright in her bed. Slipping out of her blankets, she stood up onto the ground and jumped a few times. She wasn't usually a morning person, and needed to get her blood flowing before she could do much. Glancing to her left, she saw Shiro's empty bed.

_Odd, I usually get up earlier than him._ She glanced over at Naruto's empty bed. _He's not there either?_

Curious, she grabbed her jacket and backpack before going out of the room. Walking down the long hallway, she went opened the door into the large room that housed Genichiro's weapon collection. She looked around.

"Where is everyone?"

She walked up the flight of stairs and into the small house that served as camouflage for the rooms below. "…No one here either?" She turned to go back down the stares, only into run into someone.

"Woah!"

"Na-Naruto-kun? But… Huh!?" Suzumi looked confused and glanced behind her, and then over Naruto's shoulders. "How did… but I Just… Huh?"

Naruto appeared a bit disoriented as he answered. "Uh, I was just kinda hanging around."

"Where? I looked all over and-!"

"Just around, you know? You didn't see me?"

"I guess not…" Suzumi looked doubtful, but decided to drop the subject. "So, have you seen the others around?"

"Uh, they're not downstairs?"

Suzumi's eyes narrowed. "You tell me."

Freezing in place, Naruto was silent for several moments. His eyes focused on Suzumi for a while before coming to a decision. "No, I didn't see anyone down there. I just woke up like half an hour ago."

"I see…" Suzumi muttered with a contemplative look on her face. She looked behind Naruto one last time, before sighing. "Well, I guess there's no point in pushing this further. Come on, let's go find the others."

"Y-Yeah! That's a good idea!"

They were spared from the effort when Genichiro came in through the front door. "Oh? Oh! You two are awake! Good! Good!"

"Where is everyone?" asked Suzumi looking relieved at seeing the portly man.

"Tsubame-san took Shiro-kun out to scout I think."

"Again?" Naruto looked nonplussed. "Didn't we do that yesterday?"

Genichiro shrugged. "Got me. I guess she's got her reasons though. Maybe she wanted to check it out in person?"

"Then that woman should have come with us when we went yesterday," Suzumi said. "Now I'm sure that even she's not absent minded enough to have forgotten that we were meeting this morning. Did she say where to meet?"

"As a matter of fact, she did," Genichiro said smiling. "Well, not as much said But... well… here." He handed a folded piece of paper over to Suzumi, who took and opened it.

"A map? She drew us a map? That's it?"

Naruto walked over to look at the map. "Kiriko-sensei is pretty good at drawing!"

"That's beside the point! She could've at least come in person or written us a note! She just drew a picture! Does she expect us to know where this is after having been here only a few days? Genichiro-san, do you know where this is?"

"Let me see…" Genichiro gave it a cursory glance and frowned. "Hmm, I'm not sure. I can't say I'm as familiar with cartography as I'm supposed to be but… this looks like the area a bit to the north west? Or was it the north east?"

"Gimme that," Naruto said, taking the map from Genichiro. He stared at it for several moments, concentrating on something. Then he looked up. "I think it's actually the north east."

"Ah, yes, yes!" Genichiro nodded. "I remember now! Naruto is right, it's the area just under the large cliff! Of course, of course!"

Suzumi did a double-take at Naruto. "How did you know that?"

It took Naruto a moment to answer. "I… went looking around yesterday and I happened to check it out. I know a bit about reading maps too, so yeah."

"I see…" _Chalk up one more thing to add to the mystery of Naruto…_ "Well, if we know where it is, then we should get going. Come on, Naruto-kun."

"Hey! Wait up!"

Genichiro bowed as they left. "Good luck! Don't forget, it's the area under the cliff!" He waited until they were gone before bringing a tiny microphone connected to a wire to his lips. "Target is on the move. Proceed as planned."

"Got it," someone replied through the microphone. "Operation is commencing."

The microphone cut off, and Genichiro smiled to himself. "Everything is coming together…" He stared off in the direction Naruto and Suzumi had gone. "Really, good luck. You'll need it…"

**LineSkipHere**

Naruto and Suzumi looked around as they arrived at their destination. There was no one there in the empty clearing.

"Naruto-kun, are you sure this is the right place?"

"Yeah, of course! This is exactly the same place as the map says! Look, it's even got the mountain thing jutting out over here."

"But there's no one here. Maybe something happened?" Suzumi palmed a kunai nervously.

Naruto looked around. "Maybe they got lost?"

_'…if there was a fight here, there's no sign of it.'_

A blur of movement caught Naruto's eye, and he was lunging for cover before he even fully realized what he was doing. "Watch out!"

Suzumi reacted to his warning and deflected several shuriken with her kunai. She threw the kunai at where the projectiles had come from, but it thudded woodenly as it missed its target and hit a tree. Pulling sheaves of paper from her backpack, she flung them into the air and formed a few hand seals. A moment later they hardened just in time to block another barrage of shuriken that came from a different direction altogether.

"We're being attacked?!" she yelled disbelievingly from the safety of her barrier. "What's going on?"

Naruto grunted as he ducked behind a tree that was riddled with shuriken a moment later. "It's a trap! We've gotta get outa here!" He made to head towards Suzumi's position, but shuriken forced him back. "Crap! Why are we being attacked? Where's Kiriko-sensei and Shiro? Why aren't they here?"

_'…we were betrayed…?'_

"No way!" Naruto furrowed his forehead. "They wouldn't! At least… No, that's not possible."

_'…then where are they? If they aren't here then…'_

"They must've been ambushed as well. We've gotta take care of this group fast so we can go help!"

He scanned the tree lines for where the enemies were, but couldn't see through the mess of branches. _Damnit, I have to find out where they are!_ "Reimi, I'm gonna try to find them using _that_!"

_'What…? But you can't handle it yet…'_

"Like I have a choice in this situation. If I don't figure out where they are, we're dead!"

Furrowing his forehead in concentration, he started molding chakra within his body, imagining a small sphere within his chest. He could hear Suzumi fighting off their attackers, but his focus was on his chakra. Slowly, he expanded the small sphere, carefully layering it over and over with more chakra until it filled the entirety of his being. He felt the pressure build as he continued to add more chakra while keeping it inside his body. Then, like a dam, he unleashed it all at once.

It spilled out over the entire area around them, invisible to the naked eye. Suzumi stiffened and swung her head around as she felt the chakra, both surprised and reassured by the feeling.

"Naruto-kun…?" she queried before she was forced to dodge away.

Naruto didn't answer her. Instead, he focused on his chakra. It was spread across a large radius around him, and he could feel everything within it. He struggled to make sense of the myriad of things he could sense. He could 'see' the earth and trees all around him. The leaves floating in the wind, and the animals hiding in the bushes, he knew where each and everyone of them were. The sheer amount of information he was forced to take in battered at his mind, and he felt his consciousness slipping.

_'…Naruto, focus!'_

Reimi's voice snapped Naruto out of his daze, and refocused just in time to leap away from another barrage of shuriken. Doing so broke his concentration, and his blanket of chakra dissipated away.

_'Did you find out where they were…?'_

Naruto nodded. "Barely. There are four of them, missing nin I think."

_'…missing nin? Then they are bandits…?'_

"We'll find out after I beat the crap out of them!"

Naruto deftly went up a tree, using its branches as cover. Shuriken whizzed by him, just barely missing him as he climbed. When he was high enough, he launched himself at where he knew one of the enemy ninja was hiding.

"Take this!"

The ninja looked up just in time to see Naruto's fist impact his fact, sending him careening face first to the ground far below.

"One down!"

Before Naruto had even fully landed, he was already heading towards another ninja. This one was more prepared, having seen his comrade being attacked. Naruto and the ninja clashed at each other several times, neither gaining any advantage over the other. Landing on a tree branch, Naruto eyed his opponent carefully.

'…_he's strong… maybe a Chuunin?'_

"Doesn't matter," Naruto smirked. "I've already got him."

The enemy ninja chose that moment to lunge at Naruto with his kunai, quickly crossing the short distance. The blonde boy stayed motionless, his hands resting at his side as the enemy ninja raised his arm to strike. But before the attack could land, Naruto made a small jerking motion with his hand, tugging at his chakra that remained on the ninja. Suddenly, the ninja felt something pull at his whole being, and found himself flung sideways into a tree. A swift blow to the head knocked him out before he could recover, and he fell to the ground below.

Naruto looked down from his perch at Suzumi. "Hey, to your right!" he called.

She looked up just as he launched a kunai into the trees, the explosive tag flushing out a ninja a moment later. "Got it!" She nodded towards Naruto before chasing after the fleeing ninja.

"Okay, now for the last one…" Naruto stretched out his senses, reaching for traces of his own chakra. He found it, attached to the final enemy ninja who was moving away at a fast speed.

'…_he's running away…'_

Naruto grinned confidently, "Like I'll let him do that!"

He took off into the forest, moving to cut the retreating ninja off. It wasn't long before he caught sight of the ninja. Coming down from above, Naruto kicked at the man's face, only to be blocked almost effortlessly. He continued with the motion and kicked again with his other leg. The attack managed to graze the top of the man's head as he ducked under it. The ninja paid Naruto's efforts back with a swift blow that caught the blonde boy in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. Flipping in midair, Naruto righted himself and landed on a tree.

"Tch! Almost had him."

The enemy ninja eyed Naruto, slowly straightening up from his crouched stance. "A kid… what's the world coming to these days…"

"Oi! You better not underestimate me because I'm young!"

"Heh, no worries about that. I saw how you took out my team. And they were supposed to be good too. Guess I can't expect much from missing nin who work for bandits."

"Bandits? So you're with those guys!"

"And you're the ones that were watching us the other day."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"No? You're going to deny it? Well, no matter. We're only the distraction after all."

"What?!"

Taking advantage of Naruto's reaction, the enemy ninja closed the distance between the two with a giant leap. Naruto barely raised his arms in time to block the attack. He dug his feet into the tree bark to keep himself from being thrown.

"Bastard…!" Naruto grunted, struggling against the older ninja's strength. His small frame was a huge disadvantage against his foes larger one, and he found himself being pushed back.

"Give it up," the older ninja demanded. "I don't like killing children."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," growled Naruto. "You haven't beat me yet! Reimi!"

_'…on it…'_

A sphere shaped object fell out of Naruo's shirt, a lit fuse attached to it. It rolled next to the other ninja's feet and his eyes widened.

"Shit!"

Before it could explode, he leapt backwards hurriedly to another tree. His attention was drawn wholly to the dropped object, and he dropped his guard. He landed on another tree, and waited for the explosion.

It never came.

"What?" he exclaimed, looking at the sphere more closely. "It's not a bomb…?" He suddenly realized he had lost sight Naruto. "Shit! It was a trick!"

His vision suddenly blacked as his head was struck painfully. Falling off the tree limb he was standing on, he barely managed to right himself in time to land evenly on the ground. Immediately he threw several kunai to his left. Naruto dropped from above directly into the path of the thrown weapons.

"Like that'll work!" Naruto yelled as he reacted quickly, launching his own volley of kunai that knocked the other ninja's kunai off course. Landing in a crouch, Naruto readied another kunai and eyed his opponent carefully. "If that's the best you've got, then I've already got this victory in the bag!"

The older ninja cracked his knuckles and loosened his shoulders. "You're stronger than I thought. Maybe I'll have to get serious."

Naruto grinned. "Heh. Then I'll get serious as well!"

Neither of them got a chance to do anything though. In the next moment, the other ninja's head flew off his shoulder, landing in a bloody mess on the ground.

Eyes widening, Naruto stammered, "W-Wha-What? K-Ki-Kiriko-sensei?"

Kiriko stood behind the ninja's headless body as it fell to the ground with a lifeless thump. She had her sword unsheathed, and she gave it a quick flick to rid it of the viscous blood that stained its blade. "Naruto."

Somehow, the sight of the woman scared Naruto. Her clothes were caked with dried blood, though she had no visible wounds. Smudges of dirt ran along her face, and her hair was disheveled, her usual ponytail gone. Reimi's suspicions from before ran through his head, and he couldn't help but take a step backwards, his trembling hand gripping his kunai tightly. His skin felt clammy, and his breathing quickened. There was a strange chill in the air, and the atmosphere felt oppressively dark.

'…_Naruto…'_

"Naruto-kun! Are you okay?" Suzumi suddenly dropped down from above. Naruto was startled, and he barely managed to stop himself from nailing her with his kunai. Unaware of her near death, she walked over to where he stood and patted him over for injuries. "You don't seem to be hurt."

"I-I'm fine!" Naruto managed to say, brushing her hands away. "Uh, did you get your guy?"

Suzumi nodded. "Yeah, pretty easy once you got him out of hiding. Knocked him out and tied him to a tree. You?"

"He's over there…" Naruto gestured at the headless corpse.

"He… He's dead!" Suzumi looked surprised, and then she noticed Kiriko standing a few yards away with her sword. "K-Kiriko-san! You killed him?"

Kiriko stared past Suzumi, her eyes glazed and unfocused. It took a moment for the woman to realize she was being spoken to, and another few seconds after that to reply.

"…Yes."

"What?" Suzumi looked outraged. "Why did you go and do that?!"

"You're too soft," someone said from behind. Suzumi turned to see who had spoken.

"Shiro-san?"

"You're too soft," he repeated as he stepped forward. Naruto noted that his white clothing was stained with blood. "We're ninja, we kill people. It's our job. What reason did we have to keep this person alive?"

"Information!"

"The two ninja Naruto-san knocked out are more than sufficient for that purpose."

"As a prisoner then! We could've used him as a bargaining chip!"

"These are bandits we're talking about here. I doubt they'd care about one or two prisoners."

"He's still a person! You can't just go around killing people for no good reason!"

"Like I said, we're ninja. We have our mission – we don't need a better reason to kill." Shiro shot a curious look at Suzumi. "Are you sure you're cut out to be a ninja? Those idealistic thoughts don't belong out here in the real world."

"Real world? Real world?! You're idea of the real world is meaningless murder and destruction?!"

"Why don't we all calm down a bit," Naruto interrupted, not liking where things were going.

"Calm down!? You want me to calm down!?" Suzumi looked furious. "Did you even hear what Shiro-san is saying!? Are you agreeing with him!?"

"N-No! I'm not…" Naruto shook his head, feeling a slight headache coming on. "Look, why don't we just save this argument for later. We've got bigger things to worry about right now."

Suzumi glared at Naruto for several moments, before giving a reluctant nod. "Fine, later then." She turned to glare at Shiro. "I won't be forgetting this."

"Finally," Shiro said with a roll of his eyes, ignoring Suzumi's glare.

Naruto frowned. _I can't believe I'm the voice of reason here…_

"Anyways," started Shiro, looking serious. "On our way here with Tsubame-sensei we were attacked by several ninja. Obviously you two were as well. That means that the bandits know we're here somehow and have been observing us."

"Wait," Naruto interrupted. "Observing us? But I haven't sensed anyone watching us at all!"

"Obviously you missed them then," stated Suzumi dryly.

Naruto shook his head. "No, that's impossible. I don't _miss_ people. Not for very long anyways."

Shiro eyed the blonde boy appraisingly for a moment. "I see… Well, for what it's worth, I've been on the lookout for that Konoha ninja we saw in the bandit camp yesterday. And even with my Byakugan I haven't seen anyone either. Whoever our enemies are either extremely adept at hiding, or…"

"Or…?" asked Naruto curiously.

For a moment, Shiro hesitated to answer. "Or… one of us is a traitor."

Naruto was unable to stop himself from immediately looking to Kiriko, remembering the cold, dark feeling he felt from her earlier. He tuned out the others as they continued to talk, staring at her. She stood there still, looking off into the distance without paying attention to what they were talking about.

_'…Naruto…? Are you alright…?'_

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine…" Naruto mumbled quietly to himself.

"Did you say something, Naruto-san?" Shiro asked, his eyes narrowing.

"No, nothing. I was just thinking aloud."

Suzumi looked curious. "About what? Do you know something we don't?"

Shaking his head, Naruto replied, "Not really. More a feeling than anything else. It's nothing, just a stray thought. Yeah, nothing to base it on or anything. Nothing at all."

"Huh?" Suzumi frowned worriedly. "You're not making any sense. Are you sure you're alright, Naruto-kun?"

"I'm fine!" he snapped. "Let's just hurry up and finish this mission so we can get out of here!"

Suzumi looked affronted. "Don't bite my head off, I was just asking."

"Sorry," Naruto mumbled apologetically. "I'm just a bit… stressed right now. It's nothing, don't worry about it. I'll work it out on my own."

"Well, okay," said Suzumi. "If you feel bad or anything, don't hesitate to let us know, okay?"

Shiro nodded. "Yes, if you feel you're unable to continue with the mission, then tell us. You'd be nothing more than deadweight if you can't focus."

"Whatever, let's get this show on the road already," Naruto said, eager to change the subject away from him. "Kiriko-sensei, are we still attacking the bandit camp?"

Kiriko turned her head to Naruto, and seemed to consider something for a while. Naruto fidgeted under her unmoving gaze. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, she nodded. "…Yes."

"Good," said Shiro. "The sooner we attack, the less time they have to prepare for us. Let's move out."

"Right!" Naruto cheered vibrantly, despite his inner misgivings. "Let's kick some ass!"

**LineSkipHere**

A/N:

Again, spoilers in a rather rambling style here. A pseudo-future chapter preview if you will. As much notes for me, as it is notes for you guys. Don't read if you don't like spoilers.

Not a lot of Reimi this chapter. Well, it's a Naruto story so it's expected, I guess. She'll start playing bigger roles later after Zabuza but the story will obviously still focus on Naruto. I have something set aside for her during the Naruto canon time skip that focuses on her mostly, but that's not until much later. Coming close to the first time skip for my story that skips to where the canon begins.

Rhea and Lynne Bastion. Forgot about these two last round. They won't have too big a role, but they'll be very helpful They aren't ninja, but a separate class of people altogether. They're both quite strong actually. Rhea can do the basics exceedingly well, and when Lynne goes berserk not much is left in her wake. Not that you'll ever see a lot of that strength really, since this story doesn't focus on them. Maybe a bit if I'm asked, but OC's aren't generally liked and I'm hesitant to give them too big a role, so I doubt it. They're strong, but not as strong as the others of the same class, which will have brief appearances later. They're not ninja, so in a fight it's likely they'll lose, their throats cut before they could even realize they're under attack. In a straight fight though it would be more even. Just as a power relations comparison, Lynne and Rhea are very strong for their class type. They'd be like a Jounin. The in-training of the class type would be like a normal human with a weapon. The strongest of the class type would be able to take on like ten Kyubi's and not break a sweat. None of those exist here though. And even if they did, they have all these restrictions and stuff. Most of them would be equal to a Genin in a straight fight. Not revealing much on them at this point.

Sarutobi is kinda hard to write. I can't relate to him all that much, so I don't know his motives and stuff. He seems like a nice enough man, but he could've done a lot more for Naruto in the canon but he didn't. I imagine there was political pressure and stuff, but for him to have folded, he had to have been pretty weak willed. But considering he was willing to sacrifice himself against Orochimaru, that doesn't really jive with what I know of him (or maybe that's just his way of running away?). So I'm confused as to what he's like. Hopefully I did a passable job on him. Sounded a bit like Dumbledore to me actually. Still not sure whether I want him to die or not, though I'm leaning towards his dying as per canon.

Shiro is, in my mind, a perfectly trained ninja. Very good at following orders and fighting, but still quite human. He'll commit suicide for various reasons, and the attempt at death will be a trigger for a lot of events. He's quite strong though, even at this point, probably jounin level. If he lived, he'd probably have become the next Hokage or something, he's that good. As with real life though, even the most talented people can have misfortune befall them, and he'll be cut down in his youth. Or rather he'll cut himself down. Both really. Whatever. Has a bit of a love-hate relationship with Suzumi. Kinda.

Kiriko gets some show time here kicking her student's asses, though none of her big moves are revealed. She's got thirteen swords in all, and has a special style that goes with it. She's quite strong, but doesn't play a major role past the first three chapters. At this point I have her slated as a bit of a mentor role for Reimi. And yes, Kiriko is not quite all there. Missing quite a few marbles, she is. Scenes from her POV may be delusions and stuff.

Probably should've been in the last chappie, but ANBU in this fic are recruited as Chunin. I believe it's stated in one of the Naruto Info books that they're recruited at that rank. Makes sense too, since there really can't be that many Elite class ninja, AKA Jounin. In my fic though, Genin and below are also targeted to promote the growth of gifted children. I mention this because a lot of fics seem to have ANBU as uber ninja, a step beyond Jounin. Considering how easily they're killed, that's definitely not true. I think someone in the fanfic community once said that once you become an ANBU, the chances of you dying go up a lot.

Kinda wondering whether I should put up a Japanese translation thing for common words. I know I should put one up for the jutsu (I'll get to that in the next chapter), but do people need translations for like the honorifics? I'm semi-fluent in Japanese (though I never took any formal courses, so I differ from standardized Japanese slightly), so to me it's almost second nature so I dunno what's commonly known or whatever. Ugh, well, here's a short list of honorifics I guess.

­**-san** Formal, polite. If you just met someone, you'd probably use this.

**-kun** For young males. If you're older than the boy by a bit, you'd probably use this as well. Female coworkers or peers can also be addressed by this as a form of gender equality. And no, it does not mean the girl likes the guy. It just means the girl views the guy as a closer relation than just an acquaintance.

**-chan** For young females. Has a cute feeling to it. Little kids are addressed by this sometimes. Can also be used to address someone whom you're really close to, like say your grandfather.

**-dono** A very formal '-san'. Kinda archaic, used to address samurai and whatnot.

**-sama** For your master, or someone so above you in ranking that you'd call him this. The Hokage, the president, any God, your master, whatever.

**-sensei** For teachers. Also for doctors, authors, politicians, etc.

**No Honorific** Used when you're exceptionally close to someone. Like your spouse or best friend ever. Can also be quite rude when you're not close. Naruto uses this one a lot, being the brash, crude person he tends to be.

**Last Name Versus First Name** You'll usually use someone's last name when addressing them. When you're friends, then you'll start using the first name. I should probably write a scene to illustrate this later…

**Plays On Honorifics** Sometimes two are combined together and stuff. Such as '-chan' plus '-sama' equals '-chama'. It's a cutesy way of saying –sama, probably used by a cutesy character or a really young person. Another one might be '-tama', which is another corrupted way of saying '-sama'.

Some others (onii-san, onee-san, etc.) that I feel maybe should be included, but I'll leave it like this for now. Jutsus and stuff next chappie.

じゃね！


	4. Honing the Edge

**Paradigm**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto or any of its affiliated trademarks._

A/N:

Okay, chapter three is up! I actually had this done for a while, but decided that I had to do some more work on a few sections. And then I actually forgot to post this entirely. I blame my stupid group that I'm doing a presentation with for school. Half the group is never there, and no one wants to do any work. I'm going to end up doing most of the work just so I can pass the class… I have horrible luck with groups – this is the second time in the same semester…

Pondered on whether I should extend the first half for a bit, but then decided against it. Instead I would cut a few sections out and rework the rest of it. And then I ended up having Naruto and co. attack the bandit camp like five times, fully written, before I finally came up with something I liked enough to keep. Rather annoying actually. The word document I keep all my deleted scenes in got bigger by like 40 pages…

I really didn't like this chapter at all. I actually thought about completely scrapping everything I'd written for this and restarting chapter three. But then I figured it'd be too much work. Especially since this all is just setup for the main story. Well, hopefully it isn't _too_ bad. But really, I hated the quality of this chapter. Especially the latter portion.

This chapter got a lot longer than I intended, so I cut it off. It was supposed to be the final chapter of the first story arc, but after I hit eighty pages, I decided to cut it off at the sixty page mark and just post that. The next chapter will _probably_ be shorter than sixty pages, but I may decide to make it a full length chapter since I have the space. After that most likely an interlude, and then a short break as I go over my plot for the main story arc to make sure nothing is wrong.

I don't know if anyone will notice, but I'm trying a new writing style here. Not too sure if the source of my writing woes came from that, or if it was because the content just disagreed with me, but yeah. Any comments on it? I could really use feedback to improve my writing, as it's consistently among my worst subjects.

Just a FYI, I make lots of edits to previous chapters. Mostly minor things like wording and stuff. Chapter 1 is actually on its tenth or so revision, and I'm not done with it yet. Nothing worth going back and rereading yet, but I guess you could if you wanted to.

**LineSkipHere**

Chapter 3

A bandit sentry stood at the outskirts of the camp, on the lookout for any intruders. He was equipped with a poor assortment of mismatched leather armor, and a simple long knife that he gripped tightly in his hands. His shoulders were tense, and his eyes darted left to right nervously.

"Boo!"

The bandit sentry jerked and swung his sword to his right where the voice had come from. When he saw who it was, he relaxed his shoulders and lowered his sword. "O-Oh! I-It's just you, Takeshi-senpai! Don't sca-scare me like that! I could've ta-taken your head off!"

Takeshi laughed. "Hah! The day you can even scratch me is the day hell freezes over! And don't be so serious! It was just a joke!"

"P-Please take things more seriously, Takeshi-sempai! We're on guard d-duty! We can't be messing around!"

"Relax, it's not like anyone's gonna attack! You're way too uptight, Kazuki-kun! And besides, if someone does come, we'll just take care of them!"

"Y-Yeah… I guess…" The nervous man glanced at the edge of the forest, eyeing it warily. "I have a bad feeling though…"

The sound of something heavy hitting the ground startled him, and he turned to see Takeshi grinning widely. A knocked over barrel lay at his feet. "Hah! You should've seen your face! You're so easy to scare, Kazuki-kun!"

"Ta-Takeshi-sempai! S-Stop it! I don't l-like these childish tri-tricks!"

"Fine, fine!" Takeshi managed to say between laughs. "I won't do it anymore. Geez, you're such a tightwad!"

Slightly angry, Kazuki turned away stiffly. A moment later, he heard a loud thumping sound and he whirled to his left, only to see a helmet settling onto the ground. Without turning, he said, "Ta-Takeshi-sempai, y-you said you would stop! You w-won't trick me the same way again!"

There was a pause without a reply, and he frowned. "Takeshi-sempai?" He turned and saw his friend turned with his back to him. "What are you d-doing, Takeshi-sempai?"

"Er, uh… I'm taking a leak?" came the reply.

"H-Here? Why can't you d-do it somewhere else? This place will s-smell…"

"Uh… Quiet, idiot! Don't make me sound stupid!"

"T-T-Ta-Takeshi-sempai?"

"Um… I'm mad! Uh… don't talk to me!"

"S-Sempai, are you alright? You're voice s-sounds off…"

"I… I have a cold! I'm coughing! See?" He coughed a few times.

"R-Right… Hey, Takeshi-sempai, what's my name?"

"Er…" There was an uncomfortable pause. "I dunno, how should I know? Uh, why are you even asking me?"

The nervous man's face grew angry. "Y-You're not Takeshi-sempai! My name is Kazuki! There's no way Takeshi-sempai would ever forget that! You're just some stu-stupid imposter!" Kazuki reached for the alarm whistle strung around his neck with a loose string.

"Aahh, enough this!"

Letting Takehi's body drop to the ground, Suzumi jumped at Kazuki, wrenching the whistle from his hands before he could blow it. A well placed strike to the neck rendered the poor man unconscious. Suzumi glanced down at his crumpled body, an annoyed expression on her face.

"Serves you right for calling me stupid."

She raised a hand to her ear and toggled a switch on her headset. "This is Alpha Three here. I got the last of the sentries on my end, and I'm in position now. How are things on your ends?"

"Yeah, no problem here," Naruto reported through the radio. "There are a lot less guards than yesterday, so it took less time than I thought it would take. Pain in the ass, pulling it off without being caught though."

Shiro answered a moment later. "I've finished on my end as well. Tsubame-sensei should be starting her assault soon. Move to take care of any that try to get away."

"Understood." Suzumi turned off her headset. Not a moment later, a huge force tore through the middle of the camp, not too far off from where she stood. Dirt flew into the air in giant waves, obscuring everything and throwing the entire camp into chaos. Raising a hand to shield her eyes against the small flecks of sand in the air, Suzumi frowned.

"Tsubame-san is so violent… Well, I better get to work as well."

With that, Suzumi took a step forward and disappeared into the turmoil.

**LineSkipHere**

Shiro seemed to flow gracefully through a group of enemies, passing them by before they could react. His hands barely glanced them as he went by, chakra momentarily dancing upon his palms. Though they didn't seem to be visibly hurt, every one of the bandits he touched fell to the ground suddenly, writhing in pain. His Byakugan were fully activated, veins bulging at the edges of his pale white eyes, allowing him to see through the thick dust in the air.

"Wha-What the heck is this kid?" one of the nearby bandits questioned fearfully. Shiro turned his attention to the man.

"The Hyuga clan is undefeatable. Give up and spare yourselves suffering."

"Like hell we'll surrender to a kid! Come and I'll show you just how strong a real man can be!"

Shiro looked to see who had spoken. It was an extremely large man, at least twice the height of an average adult, with bulging muscles that threatened to tear out of the thick armor he wore. He held two giant swords in each hand, and another even larger one strapped to his back. A worn forehead protector with the three lines of the Hidden Mist village was worn around his bulging arm, a line through it signifying that he had abandoned his village.

"Oh! It's Takami-sama! It's Takami-sama!"

"Takami-sama! Beat the crap out of that kid!"

"Yeah! Show him who's boss!

"If it's Takami-sama, then the kid's done for!"

The bandits seemed to become encouraged at Takami's appearance, and the large man welcomed the attention.

"Come at me, boy! Your puny body cannot possibly stand up against my strength!"

Shiro stood silently, gazing at Takami evenly. It only served to further rouse the giant man, and Takami let loose a loud roar. "GRAAHH!!! I shall crush you like the bug you are!"

Hefting both of his weapons above his head, Takami brought it crashing down at where Shiro stood. The blades bit deep into the earth, easily parting the soft top soil. Takami furrowed his forehead. "What is this… Where did that brat go!?"

"T-Takami-sama! Behind you!"

Glancing over his shoulder, Takami saw Shiro standing in the middle of a group of bandits. The bandits all dropped to the ground, clutching at their bodies painfully. Takami growled gutturally. "You dare toy with me… You dare hurt my subordinates… You will DIE!!!"

He swung both his weapons, one after the other, in a wide cleaving arc. He failed to hit the boy, and tried again. And again. And another time. Shiro seemed to glide backwards, always just out of reach of the deadly blade. And then he disappeared. Takami whirled around, looking for the missing boy, and found him standing a few meters away, surrounded by another group of fallen bandits.

"Stop running around and STAND STILL!!!" Takami yelled, becoming frustrated at his lack of success. Deep down he realized he didn't stand a chance against the boy, but his pride forced him to continue on, pushing aside his fear. Swinging his swords once again, he put as much strength into his attack, his muscles straining to keep up with his demands. Anticipation built as he neared his target, his blades slicing through the air.

"You're a bother."

In one swift motion, Shiro slammed his hands into the weapons, shattering both blades with precise applications of chakra. Not to be deterred, Takami dropped his broken weapons in favor of the giant sword strapped to his back. Before he could even swing it, it broke into several pieces on the ground. Takami scowled.

"You stupid brat! Even if I'm weaponless, you still can't beat me! A tiny person like you couldn't possibly penetrate my hard muscles!"

Shiro narrowed his white eyes as the large man charged at him. One moment he was standing in front of Takami, the next he was behind the giant man. Takami came to an uneven halt and stood unmoving for several seconds, before teetering and falling to the ground. Blood leaked from his mouth, pooling onto the ground. Dead silence spread through the bandits as they stared at their champion's fallen body.

"Jyuuken," Shiro said without turning. "It doesn't matter how strong you are on the outside, it destroys you from the inside."

As if Shiro's words had released a floodgate, the remaining bandits suddenly became panicked. They dropped their weapons and started running away. They didn't get far though. Shiro seemed to glide past them, a blur of white that could barely be seen. They fell to the ground.

"Targets eliminated. Proceeding onwards."

Without looking back, Shiro disappeared into the dust, leaving behind the mess of bodies scattered all around.

**LineSkipHere**

Naruto was an orange blur as he plowed through groups of enemy bandits. It was a baffling sight; his small form barreling over full grown adults with seemingly no effort at all. Slamming his right foot into one opponent, he utilized the man's body to kick off and punch another one. Using the momentum from the punch, he whirled into a spinning kick that caught two more bandits in the face. Before their bodies even touched the ground, he was gone, going after another bandit.

"Heh, this is way too easy!" Naruto grinned as he took down two bandits at once.

_'…don't get overconfident, idiot,'_ Reimi warned. _'…this isn't a game…'_

"Yeah, yeah. Obviously. These guys are way below my level though, nothing to worry about." A blade came perilously close to separating him from his head. A quick backhanded fist knocked the wielder of the blade unconscious. "Well, almost nothing…"

He caught sight of something out of the corner of his eyes, and jumped away just in time to avoid a barrage of kunai. On his guard, Naruto swept his gaze across the line of tall sentry towers where the attack had come from. "Who's there?"

Another wave of kunai came in response, and he twisted out of the way. "Hey! If no one comes out in the next ten seconds, I'm gonna go looking! And you won't like it when I find you!" A stern look came over his face as he sidestepped another kunai. "Ten, nine, eight, seven.... Ah screw this!"

Channeling a huge amount of chakra into his feet, he launched himself into the air to the tops of the sentry towers. The pair of surprised ninja standing there barely had time to register their shock before they were forced to defend themselves against Naruto's furious assault. It didn't take very long before both were down.

"Now, what's next?" Naruto questioned as he looked down from his lofty perch. A barely detectable surge of chakra alerted him to two other ninja coming up behind him, and he ducked under as they both attempted to stab him with their swords. "Hey! More ninjas!"

_'…shouldn't Kiriko-sensei be fighting them…? She's supposed to be taking care of the ninjas while we clean up the bandits…'_

"Eh, she must've missed these. Or they weren't there. Either way, they're my prey now!"

Stepping lightly on the wooden railing of the sentry tower, Naruto kept just out of range of the two ninja's reaching blades. They were obviously used to working together, and their attacks were synched so that it left Naruto without a chance to counterattack. They kept Naruto retreating until he was at the edge of the railing. Sensing victory, one of them lunged to strike at his upper torso, while the other aimed at his lower torso.

"Urgh…!"

Like a giant scissor, the two blades cleaved into the blonde boy, blood splattering into the air. They pressed their swords deeper, trying to cut him in two.

"Heh, you guys are good… but not good enough…"

The two ninja's eyes widened as Naruto's body was suddenly replaced by a tree log. "Kawarimi!" one of them called out in warning. It was too late. With the force of a sledgehammer, Naruto crashed into them from behind and sent them toppling to the ground far below.

"Oh yeah, man I rule!" Naruto cheered excitedly, adrenaline pumping furiously through his veins. He saw some bandits fleeing away down below, and he grinned. "All right! Ready or not, here I come!"

Racing down the sentry tower, Naruto caught the bandits by surprise. They had just realized he was among them when he started dispatching them with a flurry of punches and kicks. They weren't executed with the most skill or grace, but the sheer force behind each attack sent the whole group of them to the ground, unconscious. Breathing out, Naruto looked around for more enemies. "No one's left?"

'…_it doesn't look like anyone's still here…'_

"I'm pretty sure there were more of them yesterday though. I wonder where they all went off to."

_'…I don't like this… get in contact with…'_ Reimi hesitated for a moment, _'with Suzumi-san… She should be trustworthy…'_

"Trustworthy…? What are you thinking, Reimi?"

_'…never mind that for now. Hopefully I'm wrong and it won't matter… just shut up and do what I say…'_

"Er, okay…" Naruto shrugged. He wasn't sure what Reimi was planning, but figured doing what she said wouldn't hurt. Twisting the knob on his headset, he spoke into the small microphone. "Uh, Suzumi? You there?"

There was a few moments of silence before she replied. "Yeah, I'm here, Naruto-kun. Anything wrong?"

_'…ask her about the lack of people here…'_

"Hey, uh… did you find the amount of people here… strangely small? I just got done with the last ones and… Shouldn't there be more of them here?"

"Well… kinda," came Suzumi's response after a pause. "I've been wondering about that too. There's something strange going on here."

"Yeah, that's kinda what I was thinking too."

_'…get her to meet you.'_

"Uh… Hey, why don't we meet up or something? Whatever happens, it'll probably be safer if we're together."

"Sounds good, I'm heading to your location already anyways. I'll tell Shiro-san and Tsubame-san to-,"

_'Stop her…! It's better if less people know…!'_

"N-No!" blurted Naruto.

"…No? What do you mean, Naruto-kun?" Suzumi asked curiously.

"Er..." Naruto wracked his brain. "What I meant was… those two are strong enough to take care of themselves… They don't need our help, right?"

"I guess…" Suzumi replied after a beat "Though I don't like it that you're implying that I can't take care of myself…"

"I don't mean anything of the sort!" Naruto backpedaled. "I was just… that is… uh…"

"Oh, don't worry about it so much. I know you didn't mean that," came her voice from behind him.

Naruto startled and turned around to see Suzumi standing behind him. "Woah! I didn't notice you getting here!"

Suzumi shook her head. "Pay more attention to your surroundings. If I were an enemy, you would've just died right then."

"Nah, I wouldn't have missed an enemy," Naruto said earnestly.

"If you say so," said Suzumi with a raised eyebrow. "More importantly, what do we do now?"

"Uh…" Naruto looked lost.

_'…I haven't planned that far yet…'_

"Crap."

"What?"

"Erm, I mean, we should look for clues!"

Suzumi's face brightened. "Of course, you're right! We should question one of the bandits here and find out where their comrades are!"

"Ah…"

"Hmm? That's what you meant, right?"

"Y-Yeah! That's right! Ahahahahah…"

Suzumi stared at Naruto strangely, before shaking her head. "You're weird, you know that, Naruto-kun?"

They tied up an unconscious bandit and propped him up against a crate. Pulling out a vial of smelling salts, Suzumi forced it under the bandit's nose, keeping it there until he responded.

"Urghh… where am I?" the bandit asked. He tried to get up, and realized that he was bound. "Hey! What's going on here!" He looked around and saw Naruto and Suzumi. Sitting down, he was at about their level and his eyes met theirs.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions concerning the whereabouts of your friends…" Suzumi began politely.

"What?" Realization dawned on the bandit, and he grew angry. "No way! I ain't telling you brats nothing! You can't make me talk!" He spat at Suzumi.

"Eww," Suzumi complained as she hurriedly wiped the saliva off her face. "That was uncalled for. There's no need to be needlessly antagonistic towards me. It will only serve to make your brief time under our care more… uncomfortable..."

"Do your worst!" the bandit growled.

Suzumi glared at the man for a few moments, before sighing. "Well, that didn't work too well. Any other ideas, Naruto-kun?"

"Wait, that's it?" Naruto looked confused. "You're just giving up like that?"

"You want to torture this man then?" said Suzumi with a hint of disgust. "I for one have no taste for that particular method of… information extraction." She shuddered. "Besides, I have no experience in it. I doubt I could do it and garner any real results."

Naruto frowned. "I don't have any experience either but…"

_'…I can try if you want me to…'_

"That? Well, if you feel up to it…"

_'…I wouldn't offer if I wasn't, idiot…'_

"Was just a bit concerned, that's all."

"Who are you talking to, Naruto-kun?" questioned Suzumi.

"Nothing. I was just thinking aloud. Hey, I wanna try something real quick. You mind turning around for a bit?"

Suzumi eyed him suspiciously. "You're not going to torture him, are you?" she asked.

"Ah, no! Of course not! Nothing like that! It's just a trick that might work."

"Well, okay," Suzumi said. "I'm trusting you not to do anything weird."

"Thanks. And it's nothing weird." _If your definition of weird is broad…_

Nodding, Suzumi turned around and walked a short distance away. Naruto turned to the bandit he was now alone with.

"Just you and me now."

"Bah, like a brat like you can do anything!"

Naruto let out a sigh. "What is it with you adults that makes you always underestimate kids? I mean, even after I knock a whole crap load of you out you still think I can't hurt you?"

The bandit glared. "Fine, so you're strong. What're you gonna do?"

"It doesn't matter if you know or not. You won't remember any of it."

"H-Hey! Wait a second here! Stop messing with me here!"

Ignoring the man's complaints, Naruto glanced back at Suzumi to make sure she wasn't watching. "Okay, Reimi, do your thing."

_'…okay…'_

Naruto allowed his body to transform to Reimi's and allowed her to take control. Taking a moment to get used to her body, Reimi glanced at the still complaining bandit and placed a slim hand onto his forehead. He jerked at the unexpected touch.

"Wha-What are you doing! Stop it! I-!"

The bandit's complaints came to a sudden halt as Reimi's fingers slipped into his skull. His eyes glazed over and his jaw slackened. The tips of his fingers twitched slightly as Reimi forced her entire hand into his head.

_'That freaks me out every time I see you do that…' _Naruto commented.

"…then don't look, idiot," Reimi answered evenly. She continued to rifle about the man's mind for a while before withdrawing her hand. The bandit slumped spinelessly backwards, his pupils dilating wildly.

_'Did you get anything?'_

Reimi slowly nodded. "This… isn't good."

**LineSkipHere**

Kiriko faced off against a number of ninja. None of them were Jounin level, but quite a few were close to it. She stood with a sword in each hand; one long and serrated, the other short with spiked tongs jutting out diagonally from the hilt. Her face was blank as she eyed her opponents.

"Careful, guys," one of the ninja surrounding her warned. "This bitch is fucking strong. Let your guard down and you're dead."

"That's obvious," another ninja muttered, gesturing at the number of dead bodies lying on the ground. "We still outnumber her though. No way we can lose to an idiot that walks into the enemy encampment all alone."

Not listening to them, Kiriko's attention was drawn to the space behind them. The little girl from before stood there, smiling. "Hi, Kiriko-chan! How long will it take for you to take care of these guys?"

"…Ten minutes…"

"Hah? Ten minutes? Ten minutes till what? You realize what a complete and utter idiot you are?" one ninja laughed.

"…Your deaths…"

A glint of light off of her blades was the only warning they got before Kiriko attacked. In an instant, she cut straight through one man with the larger of her swords, while slitting the throat of another. There was a moment where no one moved as the weight of what had just happened sunk in. Then, they were all gone in a flash.

Kiriko's two blades wove an intricate web of death as she fought off her enemies. One managed to catch her long, serrated blade with an open handed palm while another occupied her other blade with a kunai. Without hesitating, Kiriko surprised her foes by letting go of both her swords and drawing twin long knives from her waist. The holes in the blade caused it to whistle in the wind as she stabbed the two enemy ninja. Leaving the weapons in their stomachs, she drew yet another weapon – a sword with a blade that was split down the middle – and twisted around to skewer a third attacker that was trying to catch her rear.

The little girl smiled cheerfully as she watched the carnage. "Oh, careful there, Kiriko-chan! Two more behind you!"

Taking heed of the warning, Kiriko spun around, quickly grabbing and sheathing her weapons. In the same motion she drew a giant, bejeweled blade off out of its casing on her back. Swinging it heavily, she cleaved through the two ninja coming at her from behind, before suddenly reversing the motion to cut through three more. The remaining ninja, now more wary of her skills, gave her a wider berth.

"Ahahahaha!" laughed the little girl. "They're all so scared of you now, Kiriko-chan!"

"Damned whore!" cursed a ninja. "Stay away from her! If her swords can't reach you, then she can't hurt you!"

Nodding, one of the other ninja brought his hands together and formed hand seals. "Doton: Jigoku Ana!"

The ground suddenly opened up beneath Kiriko. Jumping backwards, she quickly found that the widening crevice chased after her. She glanced at where the caster of the jutsu stood, then at the rapidly advancing jutsu itself. With a burst of sudden strength, she raised her heavy sword above her head. Chakra lanced up her arms into the sword, and the many gems in the blade gave off a faint light. And then, with supernatural speed, she swung the sword at the ground, right at were the cracks were just reaching.

A huge explosion shook the ground, making it even harder to see as even more dust was sent into the air. The dividing earth was stopped dead in its tracks, and its caster took a step backwards in surprise. He clasped his hands together again to form more hand seals, but suddenly found that his hands were missing. A metallic sound alerted him to the thin and extremely long folding sword that Kiriko was wielding like an oversized whip. He barely had time to open his mouth before he was sliced into pieces.

Kiriko sent the long blade whirling about her, catching several more ninja off guard. Her lashing weapon cut the surrounding area into small pieces, slicing easily through trees and camp equipment.

A ninja made hand seals and sent a lightning jutsu at her. Her flailing blade caught the attack, and the electricity swiftly traveled up the blade and to the hilt, forcing Kiriko to drop her weapon. She instantly drew a long katana that hooked at the point and took a step towards the one that had thrown the lightning, but was forced back when a stream of fire flew at her.

"Kiriko-chan! Keep it up! Don't let them get you!"

Glancing momentarily at the little girl, Kiriko drew her two long knives again and threw them at one of the ninja.

"Heh, just as I thought!" the ninja smirked as he easily dodged the simple attack. "She's one of those close range types! Keep her away and she's harmless!"

Not reacting to the taunt, Kiriko pulled at invisibly thin wires with one hand while drawing a thick, rod-like sword. The two knives attached to the wires reversed their flight, hurtling rapidly at the back of the jeering ninja. He noticed it though, and moved so it would narrowly miss him. "Thought you could get me that easily, did you?"

The rod-like sword flew from Kiriko's outstretched arm to land point down at the ninja's feet. Almost instantaneously, the two flying knives changed their course and impaled the unsuspecting ninja in the back. His eyes widened in surprise, before they dulled and he slumped to the ground.

The ninja's death prompted the others into action. Several tried using lightning jutsu, seeing the effect the first one had. These were mysteriously directed to the rod-like sword, the weapon acting like a lightning rod. A quick tug of her wire and Kiriko's two knives flew into action once again. A few overly-zealous ninja charged at her, and suddenly found their throats missing as Kiriko twirled the two knives dangerously about her.

"Genjutsu! Hit her with genjutsu!"

Several of the ninjas responded to the cry and formed hand seals. Kiriko's world suddenly began swirling and bending, causing her to lose her balance. Several images tried to take shape, but they seemed to have trouble holding a form. The little girl still watching from the side giggled.

"Showing false images to someone who sees them everyday? How effective do they actually think that'll be?"

Kiriko focused her attention on the little girl, her eyes glazing over for a moment. Then, the strange images and twisting world ceased. The other ninjas didn't notice the genjutsu's lack of effect on her, and advanced upon her with supreme confidence. They didn't even have time to wipe the grins off their faces before Kiriko burst into action, slicing into them with a finely made katana.

There were only five ninja left now, but these were the more seasoned and cautious of the group. They were appropriately made wary of Kiriko, having watched as she emotionlessly slaughtered their comrades. The only woman of the remaining ninjas stepped forward. "You're strong," she stated.

Tilting her head to the side, Kiriko didn't respond to the praise.

The woman continued, unaffected by Kiriko's silence. "I have mixed feelings about that strength. On one hand, you're a woman. And I'm all for female superiority. On the other hand, you're an enemy… It would be nice if we could remedy the latter of the two."

Kiriko's eyes wandered to where the little girl stood making weird faces.

"What I'm saying is, would you care to defect and join our side? I'm sure one of your skills would be able to attain quite a bit of power."

The woman frowned when Kiriko drew out another weapon – a particularly splendid long sword that looked as deadly as it was aesthetically pleasing. "You do not wish to accept? I offer you once more chance to reconsider. Even if the strongest of us aren't here, we are still more than a match for a single foe."

The little girl's eyes widened as she noticed what Kiriko was doing. "Oh… You're using that sword? Well, I guess it means you're getting serious… I'd better be off then…" With one last playful twirl, the little girl disappeared. At the same time, Kiriko's eyes seemed to sharpen, developing a clarity that hadn't been present previously.

"…No…" she answered the other woman's question.

The woman shrugged. "Well, it was worth a try. We would've killed you regardless, but I guess you want to do things the hard way." She made a few gestures at her comrades, and they prepared to attack. "Goodbye."

Her eyes widened as Kiriko's image seemed to replicate multiple times, before disappearing from sight altogether. She felt a huge surge of chakra from all around her.

"Oh shi-"

The entire area exploded.

**LineSkipHere**

Suzumi frowned as she chased after Naruto. "Wait, so you're saying the reason that there aren't a lot of people here is because-"

"Yeah!" Naruto answered, racing towards where he knew his teacher was. "Why didn't I realize it sooner? This is bad!"

_'…you have a gift for understating, idiot… this is a disaster…'_

"What I'm wondering is why Genichiro-san didn't know anything about this." Suzumi said. "He's supposed to be in charge of all information in this area! How could he not know what kind of movements the bandit's were making?"

"Yeah, for him to not know about this… It's unbelievable."

"Yeah, there's no way…" Suzumi's eyes widened. "That's it! Naruto-kun, that's got to be it!"

"Huh?"

"Genichiro-san is the traitor! He must've been passing information to the bandits the whole time!"

"Wait, don't jump to conclusions," Naruto said even as his mind raced to piece everything together. _If Genichiro-san, the one directing our overall movements, has been telling the bandits where we'd be then…_

_'…he got us…'_

"Shit, you're right! That bastard! The next I see him I'm going to break every bone in his body! And he lives with the villagers too! For him to just betray them all like that…"

Suzumi nodded. "It's inhuman. He'll have much to answer for once we get back. For now though, let's concentrate on reporting this to Tsubame-san. She should know what's happening here."

They doubled their speed and it wasn't long before they found Kiriko. She stood in the center of a mass of destruction. Pieces of ruined flesh scattered the ground, some just large enough to be recognized as human. Suzumi turned around immediately, nausea coloring her face. Naruto soldiered onwards to where Kiriko stood, ignoring the danger he felt from her. She noticed him approaching, but didn't show that she did, opting instead to stare at an empty spot in the opposite direction.

"Kiriko-sensei, we've got a problem," Naruto said.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes, before returning her gaze to the empty spot. Seeing that she wasn't going to respond, Naruto continued.

"The bandits, they aren't here."

Again her eyes flicked to him before looking away. Naruto let out a frustrated sound.

"She's in one of her moods again. It's pointless to try to talk to her when she's like this," Suzumi said as she came up behind him. She had a hand over her mouth and was carefully averting her eyes from the many signs of death around them. That she seemed to be succeeding rather impressed Naruto. "I radioed Shiro-san. He'll be here soon and should be able to help." She wrinkled her nose. "And let's move away from here. This smell is getting rather pungent."

They moved away from the carnage, Kiriko following a few moments later. It didn't take very long for Shiro to arrive. Landing silently next to them, Shiro looked askance at Suzumi and Naruto. "What's this all about?"

Naruto answered. "The bandits aren't here, and we wondered why. So we questioned a bandit. We found out that they're raiding some other village."

"Which village?" Shiro asked.

Suzumi shook her head. "We don't know. We wouldn't be here if we did." A look of frustration passed over her face before she continued. "There are three villages that are close enough for them to attack. They'll likely hit them hard and fast. If we want to stop them, we'll have to move fast."

Naruto looked confused. "Only three? Isn't the village we're staying in close too?"

Suzumi shook her head. "Close for ninjas. Not so much for a large group of poorly trained bandits." She saw that Naruto didn't understand and explained. "There's a large river between here and there if you recall. We crossed it easily enough. But the bandits would have to navigate the many miles all the way around the river. That would take many days. More than a week if you take into account the return journey."

"What about a boat?" Shiro put forth. "Couldn't they use that to cross over?"

"Not without alerting everyone. The river is rather big, and the preparation required would be easily spotted. The trees are thin and weak on the bandit's side of the river, meaning everything would have to be transported."

"I see. So building a bridge would be even more impossible."

Something tickled the edge of Reimi's memory, and it took her a moment to realize what. _'…Naruto. Ask if building a bridge from the village's side would be plausible…'_

Naruto did as she asked, and Suzumi frowned. "Well, yes. Quite easily really. But that would require sneaking people into the village, which would be hard to accomplish. You remember the reception we received when we got there. And we're on their side. Do you really think they'd allow the type of men these bandits are anywhere near?"

"What about traitors?" Naruto asked, again on behalf of Reimi.

"That could be possible…" Suzumi got a curious look on her face. "Why? Do you know something?"

"Er, do I?"

_'…Naruto… last night, I saw two men acting suspiciously near the river… they were cutting trees…'_

Understanding quickly dawned on Naruto. "Well, crap." Suzumi's confused look prompted him to explain. "Two guys were cutting trees by the river last night."

"You think they betrayed their village?" asked Shiro. "How can you be sure?"

"I'm not."

No answer came for a few moments. They stood there, uncomfortably shifting in position. Finally, Suzumi let out a sigh and said, "We'll go with that for now. It's better than sitting here with our hands under our read ends. Tsubame-san?" She looked to Kiriko, to find that the woman was gone.

"We'll make do without her," Shiro said. "She must've had something important to do."

"I doubt it," muttered Suzumi. She turned to Naruto as Shiro took to the trees. "And you're going to tell me what you were doing out last night. Especially after telling me you were sleeping."

"I never said that-"

"Save it," Suzumi interrupted. "We've got more important matters to attend to."

Naruto watched as she took off after Shiro. "That's not good. She's getting suspicious of us."

'…_you could inform her of my existence if you want…'_

"Yeah, but you wouldn't like that, right?"

'…_no…'_

Naruto nodded. "Then I won't tell. Now we just have to hope she forgets about all this. Maybe if something big happens."

'…_don't say that… we're unlucky enough already…'_

**LineSkipHere**

They moved quickly to get back to the village.

They didn't move fast enough.

The attack on the village was well underway when they got there. Many of the buildings were on fire, and villagers ran over each other to get away from the raiding bandits. Some tried to fight off the invaders, battling with whatever they could lay their hands on. Screams and pained moans could be heard over the din of battle.

Suzumi's face was pale, but she kept her veneer of professionalism up. "It would be stupid to run in without preparing. We should scout out the situation first before we-"

"Bastards!" Naruto growled. Before anyone could stop him, he ran headlong into the fray.

_'…she's calling after you…'_ Reimi told him as he ran.

"Let them. Stopping these bandits is more important than some stupid Shinobi Code of Conduct. You can't convince me otherwise."

_'…I had no intention to… I was merely commenting…'_

Naruto saw a bandit standing over a wounded old man with a blade raised over his head and moved to stop him. Pulling his arm back, his fist blew into the bandit's jaw, sending the surprised man flying into a house.

"Ninja!" one of the nearest bandits cried, staring at Naruto. "Get the word out! We've got ninjas here!" Other nearby bandits turned to Naruto and brandished their weapons.

Naruto glared at them fiercely. "Bastards! How dare you do this!"

The old man behind him took his chance to run away, not even bothering to look back in his haste.

_'…ungrateful louse… not even a word of gratitude…'_

"It doesn't matter," Naruto said, eyeing the bandits. "Any complaints you've got? We'll just take it out on these guys."

The bandits had formed a loose circle around him. They were obviously waiting for him to make the first move, and he was more than happy to oblige. They were the same poorly trained bandits he had fought in the bandit camp, and it only took a few moments to dispatch all of them. Naruto glanced around for more enemies.

A glint of steel caught his eye, and he twisted away to avoid being skewered by a kunai. Right as he landed, another kunai came, aimed at his back. Ducking down, he found himself the target of yet another kunai. Throwing himself to the side, he dodged the next kunai that came by leaping upwards. Almost immediately he knew he had been outmaneuvered.

"Shit!"

_'…idiot!'_

Taking advantage of his lack of mobility in the air, a ninja came down at his exposed back from above. He didn't have enough time to pull off a Kawarimi no jutsu, and he couldn't move away. Seeing no other choice, he curled himself up, using his limbs to protect his vital parts.

"Like I said, it's stupid to run in without preparations."

Suzumi appeared in front of him, scattering sheets of paper in front of her to form a barrier that the enemy ninja impacted painfully. He recovered quickly, and retreated away. Shuriken flew from behind to cover his retreat, and Suzumi pulled her shield around to block it. Naruto and Suzumi landed on the ground, and quickly ducked behind a building for cover.

"Suzumi! What are you doing here?"

"Looking after you, apparently." Suzumi shot an annoyed look at Naruto. "I told you to wait up, didn't I? Now look at the situation you've got us in."

"Where's Shiro?"

"Taking care of the rest of the bandits," answered Suzumi. "Unlike you, he doesn't need a babysitter."

_'…worry about Shiro-san later… we've got bigger problems…'_

Naruto extended his senses. "They've surrounded us. Watch out, these guys aren't like the ones we've fought so far. I think we've got most of their ninjas here. Jounin most likely. At the very least extremely strong Chuunin."

Suzumi took a step backwards as a kunai sprouted where her foot had been. "Any ideas?"

"Lots. Nothing that would help here though."

They both ducked down under a volley of kunai that embedded itself into the wooden wall. Suzumi scowled. "This isn't going to be easy to get out of with this many foes… I guess I'll have to use _that_. Naruto, buy me some time here." She climbed into a building through an open window and started unloading paper out of her backpack.

"What?"

"Just do it!" Suzumi ordered. "Keep them distracted!"

Seeing that the subject wasn't up for discussion, Naruto chose to listen to her. Seeing that she had made herself as scarce as possible, he decided the best course he could take was to become as visible a target as he could. Jumping to the top of a nearby building, he looked around. Villagers and bandits alike lay in the streets, some dead and others alive while others fought openly on the streets. Many of the village's inhabitants had evacuated already, and bandits were voraciously looting the many empty houses.

_Greedy little bastards…_

His gaze trailed to where he could see cut down trees by the mill that served as the bridge the bandits had used to cross the river. He grinned as a thought came to him. "I wonder how much attention I'd get if they lost their easy way home. Reimi, let's try that explosive I stole from that one guy's house that other day. The kinda fat guy with the beard that wouldn't sell me those explosive tags," he said while sidestepping a shuriken.

_'…this one?'_

A small red ball fell into his hand and he grinned. "Perfect. Let's see how big a bang this little guy can make!" Lighting it, he threw it high into the air and quickly made hand seals.

"Kaze no Te!"

A light breeze flowed from his lips, gently catching the small bomb. It quickly started to move, floating through the air at a brisk pace. He directed it swiftly to where the log bridge was before allowing the jutsu to dissipate. The bomb dropped to the bridge, and for a moment nothing happened.

And then it _exploded_.

Even from where Naruto stood, he could feel the shockwave that emanated from the explosion site. A tall pillar of fire rose up and spread ashes into the sky and Naruto could feel the heat pulsing against his skin

He stared.

"If that didn't get their attention, nothing will…" he muttered. "…and we really should tell the Hokage that the fat guy is a public hazard… or at least some sort of mad scientist…"

_'…that's a big explosion…'_ Reimi stated. She sounded a bit dazed as she realized she had been carrying that around for a while. _'…you're never getting me to carry strange objects again…'_

Naruto glanced down at Suzumi, and saw that the bomb hadn't interrupted her work. He let out a sigh of relief. He didn't want to anger her by messing her up. The girl could be scary when angered.

Without warning he twisted his upper torso to the side. A tall ninja materialized next to him a moment after, stabbing with a kunai at where Naruto's heart would've been. Snapping a fist to the ninja's face to daze him, Naruto swept the man's feet from beneath him with a low sweeping kick followed by an elbow blow to the stomach. He went in for the finishing blow but a strange, blue ribbon-like substance lanced at him. He tried to dodge away, but the ribbon-like substance seemed to follow him and managed to nick him in the shoulder with unexpected force. The blonde boy was sent tumbling head of heels before he managed to right himself.

"What was that?" he exclaimed.

A thin man appeared next to the first ninja he had downed, the blue strands retreating into his sleeves.

_'…the ribbon things… a bloodline…?'_

"Maybe," Naruto said. "Looks dangerous. We'd better be careful."

The first ninja slowly stood up, and Naruto was happy to see his attacks had left a thin trail of blood at the corner of the man's lips. He was less happy when another ninja, this one short and heavily clothed, appeared next to the two ninja that were already there.

"It's three versus one, and there're still the guys that are still hiding," muttered Naruto. "Suzumi, now would be a great time to finish that jutsu…"

'…_behind!'_

He felt something touch his back, and only his lightning quick reflexes allowed him to escape being chopped in half. A fourth, well-muscled ninja had snuck up behind him with a vicious looking meat cleaver.

As if on queue, the other three ninja launched their attacks right then. Naruto found himself being forced to twist about in ways he had never thought possible. His reflexes were put to the test as a myriad of attacks struck out at him. There were too many of them though, and he couldn't dodge them all.

The strange ribbon in particular was troublesome, able to turn at impossible angles to strike him. Where he tried to block, it maneuvered around and attacked from another side. When he dodged, it chased after him, striking like a fierce hawk. Naruto managed break away from the deadly dance of the ribbons, but the man with the cleaver appeared, waiting behind him. Swinging his blade with surprising speed and accuracy, the strong ninja managed to score a deep gash in Naruto's left arm before the boy could escape. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw the short man do something with his many layers of clothing, and suddenly an array of kunai flew at him in an unpredictable pattern. He was hit several times, and he fell skidding across the roof.

"I can't keep this up!" Naruto realized frantically. He dodged shuriken thrown by one of the hidden ninjas, only for the tall man to knock him down with a well placed fist.

"That's for making me bleed, brat," the tall man sneered.

Glaring, Naruto raised a hand to his cheek and found that there was a cut there. "What the…"

'…_there's some trick with his hands…!'_

"Surprised? Nasty ain't it. It's called the Gentle Fist. I stole it from some Hyuuga ninja. Right before I killed him."

"Hyuuga?" Naruto repeated warily, remembering how deadly Shiro was. He took a step backwards as the enemy ninja advanced on him.

"Ironic, isn't it?" the tall ninja sneered as neared. "That you'll be killed by a technique Konoha prizes so much." He raised his arm and prepared to strike.

"That base imitation is not the Jyuuken. _This_ is the Jyuuken."

"What the-"

Suddenly appearing behind the tall ninja, Shiro exploded into a flurry of palm strikes that struck at various body parts. It was over in a flash, and the tall ninja fell to the ground, twitching as his nerves fired unsuccessfully.

Shiro let out a breath as he turned away. "Don't bother getting up. You're finished."

Naruto frowned. "I was handling it. I didn't need your help."

"I never said you did," returned Shiro. His Byakugan was activated, and he was on full alert. "We're surrounded. This is a bad situation."

"No shit, I already knew that," growled Naruto as he climbed to his feet. Several more enemy ninja had come out of hiding and were looking eager for a fight. Then he felt a spike of familiar chakra from below, and he grinned. "Doesn't look like they'll be a problem for long though."

Thousands of pieces of paper suddenly filled the air. They circled the sky for several moments. Then they spread out, lining up in neat rows upon rows until there was a sheet of paper for every vertical and horizontal meter.

The enemy ninjas glanced about warily at the paper that surrounded them. A particularly brave one reached out a hand to touch the paper closest to him. Instantly, all the nearby paper rushed in at him, impossibly slicing into his body.

'…_oh…'_ Reimi murmured within Naruto's mind. The blonde boy could only nod in agreement.

The ninja collapsed to the ground in a pool of blood. The others glanced at the paper with newfound respect and fear.

"Kami no Ibara Mori." Suzumi floated up to them on a sheet of paper. "Hi guys, sorry it took so long."

"No worries," grinned Naruto. "We're still alive with all limbs intact. And that's what matters, right?" He glanced at the dead ninja that had been diced into pieces by the paper. "I could've ended up with worse than just a few scratches and bruises."

She wrinkled her nose. "I really don't like this jutsu. Didn't really have a choice in this scenario though."

Shiro nodded. "We all must do our duty. Even if it means sacrificing ourselves."

"Well, I hopefully won't be doing this very often," Suzumi muttered. Letting out a sigh, she plucked a nearby piece of paper out of the air and held it to her lips. "Okay," she said, her voice sounding from all the sheets of paper in the village. "Surrender both your weapons, and yourselves. Failure to comply will lead to your immediate termination."

Naruto saw shuriken flying at Suzumi and drew his own shuriken to intercept. His intervention was unneeded though. A group of paper moved to block the shuriken. Another group killed the ninja on another rooftop that had tried to take Suzumi out.

"Killing me is impossible," Suzumi said into her paper. "Submit yourselves now and you're punishment will be lessened."

"Do you really believe that, little girl?" It was the thin ninja with the ribbon-like weapons that spoke. "We're bandits. Rather infamous ones who've killed many. If we're caught, the only punishment awaiting us is death. There is no lesser punishment for that. Especially for us missing nin. The fate that awaits us is worse than death."

Suzumi frowned. "Then you won't surrender?"

The tall ninja snorted. "You can't keep this jutsu up forever. We'll take our chances with you, rather than the ones you serve." The strands of blue flowed out of his sleeves once again, and the rest of his comrades readied their arms.

"I see…" Suzumi looked truly sorrowful. "Very well then... Farewell…"

The blue strands flailed about as the tall ninja tried to fend off the paper. His allies tried to do the same with various weapons and jutsu. It was all useless. The paper cut without mercy, ending the lives of many in an instant. More than a few managed to escape, but not without severe injury.

Suzumi closed her eyes, her face turning deathly pale. "If they had surrendered… but… not one… I would've have had to… if they…" Her legs wobbled beneath her, and she fell.

"Suzumi!" Naruto cried. He managed to catch her before she hit the ground. "Suzumi! Are you alright?"

Shiro walked over and examined her. "She's just unconscious. Looks like chakra exhaustion. And possibly shock."

"We'd better get her somewhere safe. I doubt any survivors would stick around after that display, let alone try to attack again, but better safe than sorry. Where's Kiriko-sensei?"

"Busy, I think. Follow me, I know a safe spot." Shiro left before Naruto could say a word. Shrugging, the blonde boy hefted Suzumi onto his back and followed after.

**LineSkipHere**

Souju drew his kunai and struck out at his enemy, who met it with his own kunai. They struggled against each other for several moments before they both retreated a step. Twirling his kunai, Souju carefully watched his opponent.

He could hear sounds of battle from nearby. His allies were similarly engaged in combat, and were not likely to be of help anytime soon. "Damnit… this was all planned, wasn't it?"

"Planned?" his opponent frowned. "I have no idea what you mean. We were just hired to kill you." A manic grin appeared on his face. "They said you guys would be strong. Can't say I'm _too_ disappointed."

"Damned missing nin…"

"Let's stop with the prattle and fight, shall we?" the missing nin's eyes lit up as he drew a chain and sickle weapon. "I've been wanting blood for some while…"

Souju threw his kunai and put his hands together to form hand seals. "I don't have time to play with you! Goukakyuu no jutsu!"

A blast of fire blew from his mouth. It exploded into the other ninja as he was deflecting the kunai, taking with it a good portion of the surrounding area. Souju cursed. "Didn't get him? One more time! Goukakyuu no jutsu!" He turned around so the jutsu hit the area behind him. A black shadow flew out of the blast area and landed next to him. Souju gripped the man's upper arm before he could strike and threw him overhead. The other ninja flipped upright in midair and landed softly onto the ground.

"Very good reflexes. I'll have to step up my game if I want to keep up!"

"Like I said, I don't have time to play with you!"

Souju struck at the man with a quick series of punches that were parried away. Switching tactics, he bent low and went for a high kick. He felt his leg being grabbed, and he quickly spun to get loose. Landing on one hand, he used his momentum and attempted to knock his opponent off his feet with a spinning kick. He was rewarded with the sound of a solid hit, and the man hit the floor with a meaty thud. Righting himself, he drew a kunai to kill his foe, but something snagged at his feet and he fell to the ground, losing his grip on his weapon. Looking, he saw that there was a chain around his ankle. He moved to get it off, but a sudden tug caused him to slam painfully into a tree.

The other ninja slowly got to his feet, the other end of the chain in his hands. "Man, for a little guy you sure pack a punch. I've got you now though!" Pulling at the chain, the ninja swung the sickle and gutted Souju. A frown appeared on the man's face. "This feeling…"

Souju's body was suddenly replaced by a log. Before the man could react, the Uchiha boy appeared behind him and stabbed him from behind. "Urgh!" The man stumbled forward a few steps, a hand reaching for his wound.

"You're an eyesore," Souju said. "Get out of my sight." A small sound caught his attention. Looking down, his eyes widened. "An explosive tag!"

The blast caught him off guard, and he was sent flying. He managed to avoid serious injury and roll out of the fall, but the concussive force left him stunned. He lifted a hand to his spinning head. There was a 'kshink' sound, and he was barely able to focus his bleary eyes enough to see the sharp edge of a steel blade at his neck.

"You got me alright," he heard through ringing ears. "Pierced a vital spot, you did. I'm going to die, I can already feel it. It's…" The words turned to gibberish as Souju's vision blacked for a moment. It took a few moments for Souju to recover. "…for me. But I won't be going alone. I'll be taking you along to meet the reaper. I-"

Souju stopped listening, this time on purpose. He mumbled something under his breath.

"Hah?" The other ninja stopped his monologue. "What was that? I couldn't hear you."

"I said… shut up… idiot…"

"I see," the man said seriously. "So this is the way you want to go. Very well, I shall be sure to end your life swiftly."

The sensation of the blade starting to move across his skin brought Souju out of his daze. He jerked his head back in time to avoid having his throat slit, swinging his feet upwards to knock the weapon out of the ninja's hands. Rolling backwards to his feet, Souju stared up at the man. He could see that the wound he had inflicted was bleeding heavily, and the explosion had taken its toll. It didn't look like his assailant could even move from where he stood, let alone continue the fight.

"Heh, you won't even allow me company on my journey to the River Sanzu. You wound me."

Breathing heavily, Souju replied, "Just die already… I don't want to waste anymore time than I already have…"

The man tried to laugh, but ended up coughing up blood. "Taken out by a cocky brat like you… If my buddies could see me now…" With that, he fell to the ground. Souju stumbled towards him and felt his pulse. He was dead.

Taking a moment to clear his head of the last of his dizziness, Souju slumped himself onto the ground. "Damnit, I let my guard down with this guy."

"Indeed you did."

Souju glanced upwards and saw a familiar man standing on a tree branch. He scowled. "Itachi-san… How long were you there?" When it became apparent an answer wasn't forthcoming, Souju shook his head. "That long, huh? Figures you'd stand there and do nothing. Were you planning on watching me die? Like you did with my teammates?"

"Your teammate's deaths were… an unfortunate casualty," Itachi said without inflection.

"Oh, I'm sure you're tearing yourself up." Sarcasm dripped from Souju's words. "Especially how eager you were for me to – how did you put it? – end their suffering."

"It would have relieved them of their pain."

"They were my best friends!" snarled Souju, uncharacteristically losing his calm. "They were my teammates! I grew up with them! To tell me to kill them with my own hands… What kind of monster are you?"

Itachi shook his head. "You could've been great. A short lived flame perhaps, but great nonetheless. A pity, considering the situation."

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"You do not know the true nature of our heritage."

"So what if I didn't use the Sharingan against this guy," Souju said crossly. "I didn't want to waste chakra."

Itachi didn't answer. A moment later, a woman ANBU landed next to the stoic Uchiha. She barely spared a glance at Souju before giving her report.

"Taichou, I still haven't found any sign of Shisui-san. What do we do?"

Glancing dispassionately at the distraught young woman, Itachi said, "We shall return to Konoha."

"What? But what about Shisui-san?"

"It is obvious he is not to be found."

"But-"

"Shiho."

The single word from Itachi put an end to any further protests from the woman. She clenched her fists and looked away.

Watching from below, Souju looked upon the scene with trepidation. "Hey, what happened to Shisui-san? What happened to my cousin?"

Shiho looked sympathetically down at Souju. "We don't…" She gave a quick glance at Itachi and rethought her words. "I… don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" he demanded.

Again Shiho glanced at Itachi. "Perhaps we should speak of this later. You probably aren't in the best of shape right now anyways."

Souju inwardly frowned. _She doesn't want Itachi around?_ "You're right," he said. "The rest of my team should be around here too. I should see if they need assistance."

"I'll go with you," volunteered Shiho.

"No."

"What? Why?" Shiho looked a bit flustered.

Itachi looked behind Souju where three ANBU were just arriving. They looked worn, but were without injury. The rugged looking man with the deer mask stiffened when he saw who was there.

"Itachi-kun…"

"Shikaku-sempai," Itachi returned evenly. "It's been… a long time."

Their gazes met and they watched each other for several moments. It was Itachi that turned away first. Shikaku frowned beneath his mask, before looking to Souju.

"We should go. We've been delayed enough as it is."

Souju nodded. He saw that Shiho looked none too happy at this, but shrugged it off. _I'll make sure to talk to her when I get back. I have to make sure Naruto and the others are alright first._ Together with the rest of his team, he took off into the trees.

Shiho nervously watched as they quickly disappeared from view. Then she turned to her superior. "Um, we should get going as well?"

"Yes," Itachi said, but made no move to do so. He kept his gaze on Shiho, and she began to feel uncomfortable. Under normal circumstances she would've been more than happy to have his attention like this, but the disappearance of Shisui had set her on edge. Still, she was a kunoichi and hadn't earned her rank for nothing. Gathering her courage, she took a deep breath.

"Come on, let's get going," she said as she started off towards Konoha, sure that once she was there she would be able to sort her thoughts and make sense of the situation.

Behind her Itachi watched her go. A slight frown found its way onto his face. "This is… a complication… He will be angry…" He drew out his long ANBU sword. "…I apologize for what I must do."

Shiho would not make it back to Konoha.

**LineSkipHere**

Naruto sat impatiently on a chair. He was in Genichiro's underground rooms, having gone there to recover.

Suzumi lay unconscious on a bed in front of him. Her chakra had been completely depleted by the jutsu she had used, and it would be for some time. She would recover though, and that was the important thing.

The door opened and Naruto looked to see Shiro. "Find anything?" the blonde boy asked.

Shiro shook his head. "I have seen no trace of Tsubame-sensei, or of Genichiro. The remaining bandits have cleared out of the village. When the villagers return, they will have to bury a lot of bodies."

Naruto grunted. He had seen all the corpses on his way here. It was the first time he had seen that many corpses and the horrible sight frankly unnerved him. Reimi's reaction to it had been far worse, and her ensuing nausea had spread to him, almost causing him to throw up. It would be a long time before the village could begin to rebuild itself. Still, it was over now and the first step towards healing could be taken.

"I'm going to go back out to look for Tsubame-sensei," Shiro said. Naruto nodded and the Hyuuga boy left.

The blonde boy watched Suzumi for a while before boredom won out. Deciding that watching Suzumi wasn't going to do anything to help, he got up and went to the main underground room. There was nothing to do there either, and he sat down on one of the chairs.

"What the heck is Kiriko-sensei doing," he muttered. "She's been missing for a while now."

_'…she betrayed us.'_

"She wouldn't do that!" Naruto said angrily.

_'…she isn't all there in her head, or haven't you noticed that?'_

"Just, no. She wouldn't. She's probably hunting down that bastard Genichiro or something."

Reimi wasn't convinced at all by Naruto's argument, but didn't want to antagonize him anymore so she dropped the subject. Instead, she turned her attention to the myriad of weapons, books, and scrolls lining the walls and shelves.

_'…Naruto… let me have control for a bit…'_

"Huh? Why?"

_'…I want to read while waiting. Unless you want to read for me…'_

"Uh, no," Naruto said, eyeing the scrolls distastefully. "You can do that yourself. Please. Just for a little bit though."

Reimi took control of her body as soon as Naruto had changed, and walked to the scroll shelf. "…it's hard to believe someone who's read so much could do something so evil…"

_'Well, just cause a person is learned doesn't mean he'll always do the right thing, you know. Stupid people do stupid things, no matter how much they've read.'_

"I guess…" Reimi didn't look all too happy at that. "…it's just disappointing."

_'Yeah, well, who's to say he even read any of these. He probably just keeps them here to look scholarly. Whatever the case, they're going to waste now.'_

"…then can I take them?" Reimi asked as she took one off its shelf and leafed through it.

_'That's a lot of stuff… You're not gonna expect me to read any of it, are you?'_

Reimi shook her head. "…I'll find time to read them myself…"

_'Eh, whatever. Go ahead. I like the idea of stealing form Genichiro. He probably got these illegally anyways.'_

The corner of her lips moved slightly upwards, and she quickly set about disappearing the entire collection of literature into the folds of her clothing. It wasn't long before the shelves were all empty. Reimi turned to look at the last wall that wasn't clear and the weapons that hung off it. "…Naruto?"

_'Well, they'll come in use I guess.'_

With a happy air, Reimi went and took the weapons on the wall as well. One of them – a small, sturdy looking knife – she decided to keep at her waist where it fit snugly within her obi. Drawing it experimentally from its sheath, she looked at it the hilt curiously where a small depiction of a wave was engraved. Holding it, she felt the slight reaction of chakra from the weapon. She didn't have time to investigate it though.

"Naruto-kun? Shiro-san?" The sound of Suzumi's voice alerted Reimi to the girl's awakening. Quickly she slipped back to Naruto's form just as Suzumi entered the room. "Naruto-kun? What are you…" She noticed the bare walls. "…What happened here?"

"Suzumi! You're awake!" Naruto strode to Suzumi's side. "What are you doing up? You shouldn't be out of bed yet!"

The girl scowled. "I'm not going to stay in bed a moment longer than I need to. What happened to this room?" she asked again.

"Nothing, just did some moving. I really think you should be back in bed." He made to push her back to her room, but the girl dodged away from his hands.

"You know, I've noticed how things appear and disappear around you. Is it your doing? What did you do with the stuff?"

"Like I said, it's nothing. You're looking a bit pale. You should-"

"For the last time, I'm not going back to bed!" Suzumi looked annoyed. "I'm feeling perfectly fine! It's just minor chakra exhaustion! I'll just avoid heavy lifting for a week and I'll be pack to normal in no time! I'm tired, not an invalid!" She took a step and stumbled, but caught herself against the wall. Glaring at Naruto, she added, "And don't think I didn't catch you avoiding my question."

"Heh, never thought you wouldn't," Naruto answered, grinning unashamedly.

Suzumi let out an exasperated breath. It was impossible to stay mad at the boy's infectious smile. She settled on feeling vaguely annoyed. "You can at least tell me where Shiro-san and Tsubame-san are, right?"

"Dunno where Kiriko-sensei is. Shiro's out looking for her."

"Great," Suzumi groaned, frowning. She remembered something and asked, "I assume the village is safe?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, your jutsu got the ninjas. I think a few got away, but they're long gone at this point."

"The villagers?"

"They ran off. Dunno where they went to. I imagine they'll come back in a week or so once they realize there's no bandits left."

"And Genichiro-san?"

"Gone. Probably left before the bandits even got here." It wasn't solid proof, but it cemented the idea that the portly man had been a traitor in Naruto's mind. "The bastard…"

Suzumi moved to a chair and sat down. "So everything's over? The mission is done?"

"I guess so. Kiriko-sensei isn't back yet, so we still have to wait. But after that, we'll head back to Konoha." The blonde boy paused for a moment. "Hey, would this be considered a success or failure? I mean, we came here to take care of the bandits. But the village took a lot of damage and stuff. We messed up big time letting them attack while we were away."

"Taking into account Genichiro-san's likely betrayal, I'd say we did pretty well."

"I guess." Naruto wrinkled his nose. "Hey, what's that smell?"

"Smell?" Suzumi sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything."

"There's a weird smell here. It wasn't here before." Looking around, Naruto's gaze fell upon the smoking canister caught at the edge of the exit. "Shit!"

_'…Gas!'_

It was too late, and he saw Suzumi in her already weak condition succumb to the gas. Grabbing her body up before it fell, he leapt up the staircase into the ground floor of the house. Rushing out the door, he felt his knees give out underneath him as he felt the effects of the gas. Struggling to stay standing, he jerked around when he heard clapping behind him.

"Very impressive. I made that to be undetectable, and yet you were able to notice it. How interesting."

It was a tall, white-haired young man dressed in what looked like a black doctor's coat. There was a large supply bag that he carried on his shoulder, and a pair of tinted goggles resting on his head. He had a maniacal look in his blue eyes that set of alarms in Naruto's mind.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked loudly as he set Suzumi to the ground. Reimi materialized a kunai into his hand, and he held it out of sight.

"I wonder? How did you know it was there? It becomes impossible to see after exposure to the air, and you noticed it nearly the moment I put it in!" The man looked genuinely curious.

"You're one of the bandits, aren't you?" accused Naruto.

The man frowned. "Hmm, you won't answer my questions? Very well, I suppose that's only fair, though I do take offense at being grouped with those bandits. No, I am what you would call a missing nin. Or perhaps a mercenary would be a better term."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was offered a job. To kill someone," he said as if he were talking about the weather. "Nasty business that, but when one requires money, one can't be too choosy."

Taking a step back, Naruto grimaced. "You were sent to kill me." It was more a statement than a question.

"Yes," the man answered after a moments pause. "That sounds about right. Though my employer specifically used the term exterminate."

Naruto glanced at Suzumi's still form as he took another step back.

"She would be a hassle to carry if you were to run, wouldn't she?" the man remarked, reading Naruto's thoughts from his expression.

The blonde boy scowled. "If you don't leave, I'll kill you. I'm warning you, I'm a lot stronger than I look."

"Please," scoffed the man. "You're nowhere near as strong as I am. And given your weakened condition at the moment, I sincerely doubt you could even land a blow on me."

The man was right, Naruto knew. But given the situation, there was little he could do. "No choice," he muttered. "I'll have to fight. I'll have to-" Suddenly he felt as if something slammed into his head, and his vision tripled. "Wha-?!" Staggering, Naruto went to his knees. He glared up at the man, and saw him smiling victoriously.

"My gas is finally working, I see. It took longer than I expected for it to take effect. I'm immune to it so I couldn't be sure if it was properly discharging. It's wonderful that my plan went off without a hitch."

"You… were stalling…!" Naruto realized too late. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted another canister silently spewing gas a few feet away/ _Damnit…! All the stuff out here… I couldn't smell it…!_

_'Naruto…!'_

"I suppose now would be as good a time as any to dispose of you," the man said. "Hmm, but I still want to know how you detected my gas? Would you mind telling me before I kill you?"

Naruto was breathing heavily now, and he could barely see out of his eyes. The gas was taking its toll on his entire body, and he could feel his strength sapping away. Still, he rallied his strength and glared at the man. "…Go to hell…"

"Now, don't be that way," the man said congenially. "I'm sure once we get to know each other you'll see how proper manners are vital to life."

Naruto could hear the man walking towards him. Glancing sideways, he saw that Suzumi was still unconscious. He was vaguely aware of Reimi's concerned voice, but his muddled mind was unable to understand. But as the man got closer, he knew one thing and one thing only.

_I have to stop this guy…!_

He waited till the man was closer. It took all his willpower to stay conscious the entire time, but he persevered. When he heard the crunch of dirt next to him, he summoned all the chakra he could muster and threw it out. He almost lost consciousness by doing so, but was gratified when he felt his chakra hit the man. Not wanting to give the man any time to figure out what was going on, Naruto pulled hard at his chakra, causing the man to awkwardly fall towards him. At the same time, he thrust the kunai still in his hand forward.

_I got him…!_

"Oh, so close. But very good try."

In his haste to attack, Naruto had forgotten about the weakening effect the gas had. He lacked the power to pierce through the man's light armor, and the kunai fell from his slack hand, clattering ineffectually onto the ground. Unable to keep himself upright, he collapsed down next to it. He stared uselessly at the weapon, unbelieving of his mistake. Above him, the man let out a laugh.

"Ha! How very interesting! That is a very unique technique! I wonder, is it a rare jutsu or a bloodline? Perhaps a new level of chakra manipulation? You emit chakra that is capable of attaching to and forcibly moving objects. That's it, isn't it? How distinctively interesting!" He shook his head. "Unfortunately, it is extremely easy to defeat for one such as I."

Naruto was surprised when he felt his chakra suddenly detach itself from the man. It was something he had never felt before, and it had a more demoralizing effect than he would've expected. Reimi's voice in his head was just a faint buzz now, and he could barely keep focus on his surroundings anymore. His eyelids felt as if they suddenly carried the weight of the world, and against his will his eyes closed.

The man frowned. "Now, this won't do. I can't have you falling asleep on me while I'm talking to you." Walking over, he kicked Naruto in the stomach.

"Gaah!" The pain awoke Naruto from his daze, and he looked up to see the deranged man standing over him.

"There, much better!" the white haired man said. "I'm afraid this is but a temporary measure however. You're a much more interesting specimen than I imagined. I suppose I should determine how you're built while you're still conscious. The screams are ever so sweet that way." Saying that, he reached into his bag and pulled something metallic out.

Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at the well cared for scalpel in the man's hands. "…shit." He braced himself for the pain as the man's arm went up. Against his will he flinched as it came down into his chest. "Gaahhh!"

In the same moment he was stabbed, a white blur impacted into the man. Naruto made out through his blurred vision a familiar visage. "Shiro!" He immediately regretted his outburst as the scalpel sliced deeper into his body. He painfully pulled it out and flung it weakly to the side.

The Hyuuga boy kept his attention on the darkly dressed man, using his Byakugan to check the status of his teammates. The lines of his jaw tightened "Naruto-san, can you stand?"

The blonde boy shook his head, trying to stay conscious enough to answer. "Careful… this guy… uses poison gas…. Got me and… Suzumi too… and…" He trailed off, not having enough energy to continue.

"I see…" Shiro was frowning, watching carefully as the man stood up casually and patted dust from his clothing.

"So there you are!" the man said. "Shiro-kun, I believe our name is, am I correct?" He waited a moment for Shiro to answer. "Not willing to reply? I suppose that's a natural reaction, considering the situation. Ah, I'm forgetting myself, where are my manners. My name is Kuro. I suppose I am to be your opponent." He smiled at a thought. "How appropriate for us to fight. White versus black. Poetic, in a sense."

Nonplussed, Shiro settled into a Jyuuken stance. Kuro raised an eyebrow at this.

"Oh? So eager to begin, are we? Well, let's begin then."

Shiro nodded. "Let's."

Naruto tried to stay conscious. He wanted to see what would happen. But the gas took its effect and his world went dark.

**LineSkipHere**

Kiriko stood in a clearing, a large scroll in her hand. A dead ninja lay before her, his headband identifying him as a Konoha missing nin. Several other dead bodies lay in various degrees of mutilation around her.

"Well, have you decided yet? Whether or not you'll be throwing Naruto to the wolves? Metaphorically of course."

The black haired woman didn't need to turn around to know the little girl was speaking to her. She also didn't want to answer the question. Especially since she didn't know what she'd say.

The little girl picked up on this. "You still haven't decided? After all this time?"

It wasn't a subject that she had given much thought to. She didn't want to think about it, it made her head hurt. And her chest. She didn't know why her chest hurt, but it did and she didn't like it.

"Great, and we're running out of time too," the little girl muttered. "We're going to end up flipping a coin if you don't decide sometime soon." Kiriko reached into her pocket and drew a coin out, and the little girl frowned prettily "We're not going to actually flip a coin, you know. It was a joke."

It was then that Genichiro stepped out from the trees. "Tsubame-san, Tsubame-san! I've been looking for you!" He didn't wait for her to reply. "Your mission went well, I take it. The traitor has been eliminated, and you've retrieved the scroll. Very good!" He held out a hand for the scroll, which Kiriko handed over. "Yes, yes. Everything seems to be in order. Now, have you given any thought to my proposal?"

"How will you answer, Kiriko-chan?" the little girl asked. "Will you allow your student's death, possibly saving the entire village? Or will you go and save them and allow the threat of the Kyuubi to remain?"

Kiriko looked down at the coin in her hand for several moments. Then she flicked it upwards, catching it on the back of her hand.

"Tsubame-san…?" Genichiro asked. "Are you okay?"

She stared at the coin. "Tails," she said.

"What?"

Kiriko drew her sword. Immediately several ninja appeared around her. Genichiro frowned. "I see, I see… So you choose to protect the demon. After you left them so unguarded I thought that… Very well, I shall now order your execution as a traitor to Konoha."

"This guy thinks Konoha will still accept him even after all this?" the little girl said with disbelief. "And these guys are all Konoha ninja… all of them traitors?" She frowned. "And when did you decide what tails would be? You didn't, did you?"

Choosing not to answer, Kiriko instead eyed the closest ninja carefully. He had on the garb of an ANBU captain, a rank higher than hers. He had on a salamander mask that hid his face. Stepping forward, he raised a halting hand. "Don't do this out of a misguided sense of loyalty to Konoha. Protecting that foul spawn does not serve Konoha's cause. It's a monster, a beast that can only understand violence. Keeping it alive would only do everyone a disservice. You were old enough to have seen its power when it came. You should understand."

"I don't think she does, captain," one of the other ninja said when Kiriko didn't move. "We should kill her."

Genichiro frowned. "That's what I've been saying. She is to be executed."

The salamander masked ANBU shook his head. "She doesn't understand. If she did, she wouldn't do this. What we're doing is right. We must make her understand."

"We don't have time for this," another ninja said. "We should hurry up and get to where Kuro-san is. I don't trust him to kill the brat by himself."

Kiriko reacted to this, looking to the man that had spoken.

"Relax," Genichiro scoffed. "He won't hurt anyone but the demon fox."

"I wonder about that," the salamander masked ANBU said. "I trust that maniac Kuro as far as I can throw him. We should never have hired him."

"Shut up," Genichiro hissed. "This isn't the time for that again!" Turning to Kiriko, he extended out his hand. "This is your last chance. We'll destroy the demon together!"

SHING!

Kiriko's sword flashed through the air and Genichiro suddenly found himself missing his arm. "Aaagghhh!!!" He screamed loudly, clutching at his bleeding stump, the scroll he had been holding thumping onto the ground. He ignored the dropped item, turning a glare filled with impotent fury at the young woman. "So this is your answer? THIS? GET HER! GET HER!"

"Wait," the salamander masked ANBU said. He turned to Kiriko and let out a sigh. "I see there's no persuading you. It's a pity to kill one as loyal to Konoha as you, even if you're mistaken. I'll ask one more time; won't you change your mind?"

"Kill her! Kill that bitch!" Genichiro screamed. The other ninja looked from the hysterical Genichiro and the salamander masked man, unsure of who to obey. Kiriko made the decision for them by pointing her sword at the salamander masked man.

"…I'm sorry…"

"I see. So your sense of duty is that great. Truly a pity. I can't help but wonder though, what your reply would have been if he were not your subordinate…" He made a hand gesture and the other ninja attacked.

**LineSkipHere**

Reimi didn't know what to do. She was trapped in Naruto's unconscious body. She was unable to do anything with him in this state except futilely wander the corridors of his soul. Worry for Naruto was all she wanted to think about. She could feel that he was there, but he was completely unresponsive. There was nothing she could do, and that bothered her more than she cared to admit.

"…I should try to find out what's happening…" she decided aloud to herself. Shutting her eyes, she focused on a mental image of Naruto's eyes and reached for it with her mind. Her brows furrowed. "…this is harder to do without Naruto…"

She momentarily connected with Naruto's ears, and she heard the sounds of fighting. For a moment she heard Shiro's voice, talking to someone heatedly. Then sound of a tremendous explosion assaulted her mind, causing her to lose her focus from the surprise.

"…at least Shiro's alright…" she muttered before trying for Naruto's eyes again. This time she managed to connect. It took her a few moments to solidify the connection, and then she opened his eyes. She frowned at the sight that met her eyes.

"…stupid ground…"

Loosening her control of Naruto's eyes, she extended the imaginary arm of her mind to Naruto's right arm. She sent a signal for it to move, and she felt it spasm wildly. Checking Naruto's eyes again, she saw that the movement had shifted Naruto's body so that he was looking straight at where Shiro stood.

"… what's he doing?"

From Naruto's position she could see that Shiro wasn't looking too good. He looked like he had taken an explosion to his side, and his white robes were tattered and covered with black soot. A large wound was plainly visible on his arm, and blood stained the bottom of his clothes. Concern flooded Reimi's face.

"…where's the other guy…?"

She strained Naruto's body to move even a little bit as she tried to catch sight of Kuro. Glancing about the torn apart streets, she couldn't find a trace of him. It was as if he had disappeared completely.

"…did Shiro win…?" she wondered.

A sudden movement returned her attention to Shiro, who was using his good arm to fend away at something. "…genjutsu? No… a Hyuuga wouldn't fall for that…" Straining Naruto's eyes, she barely made out a slight distortion of the air that seemed to move erratically. "…ninjutsu?"

Shiro struck forward with his arm, sending a concussive wave out in a wide arc. It impacted the distorted air, and for a moment Kuro's white hair came into view. Another Shiro dove down from above in a flurry of blows. He managed a few good hits to the unseen man before being dealt a heavy blow that dispersed the kage bunshin. Another moment later Shiro fell to the ground, a viscous green liquid suddenly burning at his legs. An invisible force bludgeoned the Hyuuga boy's head, and the boy stopped moving.

Reimi felt a twinge of panic rise up within her. "…Shiro lost…?" As much as she wanted to say Naruto was the strongest, she knew that Shiro was head and shoulders above them in actual combat ability. His apparent defeat meant that his opponent was too much for even him to handle.

She didn't stand a chance at all.

She saw Kuro appear into view, no longer needing to stay invisible. He said something that she was unable to hear, and then spat at Shiro's unmoving body. Kuro kicked him once and the boy moved slightly, revealing he was still alive. Apparently uncaring of that, Kuro left the boy alone in favor of turning to Naruto. Reimi quickly shut his eyes so he wouldn't see. Reaching her mind out, she reconnected with Naruto's ears. She heard Kuro's footsteps stop next to Naruto. She tensed herself, not knowing what he intended to do.

"Now," she heard him say. "I wonder just what it is exactly that makes my clients despise you so… I'm sure no one would mind if I take a look."

Reimi felt Naruto being lifted, and risked a brief glance out of one of his eyes. She saw Kuro standing there with a curious expression, holding Naruto by the front of his shirt. Seeing that the man was off guard, she took a chance and delved into the imaginary room within her where she stored all the objects she took in. Summoning an explosive tag, she activated it and pushed it out of Naruto's body. It floated to the ground, the edges of it igniting with small flames. Then, with great force, it exploded at Kuro's feet.

Or it should have.

Before she noticed anything, Kuro had moved a number of meters away, out of the destructive range of the explosive tag. It was only when she saw the sudden change in surroundings that she realized what had happened. Her surprise was so great that she lost her tenuous control of Naruto's body.

"Stupid brat," Kuro muttered. "He should keep his tools properly stored away."

Relieved that the man had dismissed the explosive tag as an accident, Reimi pondered her next action.

"I have to get away… but I can't face this person in straight combat… It's doubtful he'll dismiss another 'accident' so easily…" She brainstormed possible methods, but found herself woefully lacking in feasible ideas. "…this is more Naruto's territory…" she lamented.

It was always Naruto that came up with the plans – she had never been one for thinking on her feet. She preferred to collect and gather information instead, leaving the application of it to him. Deciding to stick with what she did best, she grabbed control of Naruto's eyes again and peeked them open. She saw the open sky in front of her.

"…Naruto is on his back…?"

Carefully looking out of the corner of Naruto's eyes, she found Kuro going through his bag. He pulled something out of it and then turned around. Reimi was horrified to see it was a scalpel.

Kuro started saying something and Reimi hurriedly connected to Naruto's ear to hear. "…I wonder," she heard him say. "What is it that makes you tick? What do your innards look like?"

Before Reimi could react in any way, he plunged the scalpel into Naruto's stomach and cut downwards. Reimi felt her connection to Naruto's body momentarily fray as it responded to the stimulus. Panicking, she took control of Naruto's arm and tried to punch Kuro. She only managed to have it flail wildly in the man's general direction, but the action succeeded in causing him to remove the scalpel as he back away.

"What's this? Are you awake, Naruto-kun?" Kuro asked curiously.

Reimi didn't respond. Instead, she focused on ascertaining just how much damage had been caused. "…he cut pretty deep… this isn't good…"

Red chakra suddenly swirled around Reimi, almost causing her to lose her concentration.

"...what?"

It flooded the room she was in before continuing on past her. Through Naruto, she could see it appear around Naruto's wound. The flesh there quickly healed, and it wasn't long before there wasn't any sign of any injury left.

"…what was that…?"

Kuro was similarly intrigued. "That reaction… Very interesting! I must find out how you are doing this!" He walked closer and attempted to cut Naruto again with the scalpel. Reimi tried to fend him off, but Naruto's hands were quickly caught and pinned down with large metal stakes. "Now then, let's try this again!"

Reimi watched in horror as the awful man cut into Naruto's abdomen. She tried to wake Naruto so he could do something, but his conscious didn't respond, fading further and further away.

The strange red chakra appeared around the wound again, trying to close it. Withdrawing his hand from Naruto's insides, Kuro observed it curiously.

"How interesting! Such a strange reaction, I've never encountered its like! I was right when I said you were interesting, I just didn't know how right I was! I surprise even myself at times!"

He reapplied his scalpel to Naruto's stomach and cut along the open wound again, watching in fascination as the red chakra hurried to heal it. He made several more incisions all over, cutting deep into Naruto's body.

Reimi started to really panic as her vision started to dim. She didn't have any experience with practical medicine, but even she knew that the amount of damage Naruto's body was taking wasn't good. It would only be a matter of time until it couldn't take anymore and it died, and her along with it.

"Naruto! Wake up! Please!"

She tried mentally reaching for Naruto's chakra; to use it to do something about the madman. It didn't work. His chakra didn't respond to her at all. Her vision was almost pitch black now, and she could hardly see what Kuro was doing anymore.

…_I have to do something!_

Frantically she tried summoning her own chakra, despite knowing that it was impossible while in Naruto's body. Still she reached for it, grasping at any hope of survival. There was nothing she could do though, and the darkness advanced on her. Before it completely swallowed her up though, she felt a powerful tugging sensation and she went flying backwards.

"What…?!"

A moment later, she found herself in another section of the dark sewers. She frowned. She had been here once before with Naruto.

"…what am I doing here…?"

Her answer came in the form of a loud, guttural growl that she somehow was able to understand. **"Mortal, come! Come to me before it's too late!"**

The voice came from beyond the giant bars that lined one side of the room, a large paper in its center. She felt a sense of dread emanating from beyond the bars, and she told herself to run away. To get away from whatever lay behind the cage; for obviously those bars were there to keep something in. But for some reason, she found herself unwillingly walking towards the bars. Before she realized what she was doing, she was standing in front of it.

"**Mortal!"**

Looking up, Reimi's eyes widened. "…Kyuubi…"

Huge red eyes glared down from above. She could barely make out the vague silhouette of the demon fox, its nine great tails waving about behind it. It moved closer, and she instinctively took a step back as its large, white teeth came into view.

_This smell…!_ Its foul breath washed over her, and the smell of rot and death hit her. Trying not to gag, she raised a kimono-sleeved arm to her face and turned her head into it.

The demon beast spoke in its strange, resonating voice. **"Our vessel is dying!"**

Reimi could only nod in reply, still fighting the nausea that she felt.

"**You will save him!"**

"…What?" Reimi forgot about her queasiness for a second and glanced up at the beast in surprise. She flinched immediately, hiding her face back into her kimono sleeves. "…forgive me if I'm mistaken, but you don't seem the altruistic type… What do you get from this?" She wanted to save Naruto, but knew better than to trust the Kyuubi.

"**Obey me, mortal! Do you not care for the vessel?"**

Reimi frowned into her sleeve. "…you're a demon… you don't save people on whim… Again I ask, what do you get from this?"

The Kyubi roared loudly, the sheer force of it sending Reimi tumbling backwards. She came to a stop on her back, her head banging against the hard ground. Her kimono clung to her body, the water having soaked it thoroughly. She stared up at the Kyubi, which was gnashing its teeth angrily. It roared unintelligibly, lashing its tails back and forth.

…_did I say too much…?_ Getting to her feet, she eyed the demon warily, ready to run at a moments notice. The demon fox continued to rage for a few more moments, before it finally calmed enough to speak again.

"**Mortal… you try my patience! You will do as I command!"**

"…even if you say that, I don't know how. I wouldn't be here if I did… And you still haven't answered my question…"

"**It does not matter, mortal! I will gift to you the method by which you will save the vessel! Obey my command!"**

"…I only listen to one person, and you're not him."

"**Fool! Listen to my command! Do not waste my time!"**

Reimi noted a certain minute amount of panic in the great demon's voice, and narrowed her eyes. "…you will die if he dies…" she realized.

"**Do not assume to-"**

"…it doesn't matter… tell me how I can save Naruto. As long as I know you're not plotting anything to hurt him, I don't care…"

The Kyubi gazed fiercely down at her slight form. **"… You are a strange mortal!"** It shook his giant head as if clearing its thoughts. **"Remove the seal from the cage!"**

Looking up at the slip of paper on the bars, Reimi hesitated. "…removing the seal… I assume that would free you…?"

"**No, mortal! It will merely lessen the restrictions of my movements!"**

"…and how would that help Naruto?"

"**Foolish mortal! There is no time for this talk! Do you not see the vessel's death is imminent? This place, this vessel's soul, do you not see its deterioration?"**

Looking around, Reimi saw that what the demon fox said was true. The edges of the room were blurry, and what was beyond it was opaque and fading. The blurry edges were slowly advancing towards the center of the room, eating away at its very existence.

…_Naruto._

Reimi looked back up at the Kyubi. "…fine, I'll do it… I'll remove the seal…" Walking up to the bars, Reimi glared up at the Kyubi. "…if this is a trick, I will hunt you down and kill you myself…" Then, with a giant leap upwards, she gripped a corner of the seal and pulled.

…_Naruto… please let this work…_

Red chakra rushed out of the cage, buffeting at Reimi. She was flung against the wall, the force of the chakra pinning her against it. She watched with wide eyes as it filled every corner of the room. Like a crimson tidal wave, it washed through the sewer tunnels, filling the entirety of the endless halls.

"**Kukukukuku! Foolish mortal! You have doomed yourself!"**

Reimi's eyes widened. _…a trick!_ She mentally kicked herself for trusting the demon, even considering the circumstances. Struggling against the strong chakra, she glared at the Kyubi.

"…you… demon… you…!"

"**Mortal! What did you think you were dealing with? I shall take control of this vessel and be free once again!"**

Reimi grimaced. _…Naruto!_

"**Just a little more… Just a little more and I will have my freedom!"**

Suddenly the chakra the Kyubi was exuding froze. A look of consternation appeared on its face. **"What is this? What is happening?"** It turned to look at Reimi. **"You! Mortal! Stop this!"**

"What…?" Reimi had a confused look on her face as she landed on the ground, the demon's chakra no longer holding her to the wall. "…I'm not doing anything…"

The red chakra reversed its course, rushing back towards the Kyuubi. It roared with rage, but couldn't do anything to stop it. The chakra sealed itself into the beast, knocking it off its feet. There was a moment where nothing happened, before a sudden pulse of energy radiated from the Kyuubi. Reimi's eyes widened as it impacted her and carried her off her feet. The next thing she knew, she was crashing into something. She felt a large hand grip her by her neck and throw her. She managed to land in a crouching stance. Glancing around, it barely took her a moment to place where she was.

"…I'm in the village…?" Her eyes locked onto Naruto's body lying a few feet away from her and she almost fell over herself in her surprise. "…wha-what?" she sputtered unintelligently.

"The fuck was that?" Kuro grumbled as he stood. "Something flew out of the kid and…" He noticed Reimi and stared. "…a girl?"

Reimi froze in place.

…_uh-oh._

She dove to the side to avoid Kuro's grasping hand but he still managed to grab her hair, pulling her painfully off her feet. The moment he let go, she tried sinking into the ground. She was half submerged when she was again grabbed and dragged upwards. She was thrown backwards and impacted against the side of a building. It took a few moments to throw off the stunning effects of the impact.

"Well, this is a surprise!" Kuro said good-naturedly. "I never expected anything like this! Tell me, what are you?"

Reimi didn't reply. Her gaze inevitably went to Naruto, and she felt her chest seize at the red chakra that swirled about him. _…I need to get to him… I need to get him somewhere safe…!_

Seeing where she was looking, Kuro stepped directly between Naruto and Reimi. "You worry about Naruto-kun? It seems we have something in common then. I too worry for his life."

"…get away from him," growled Reimi protectively.

"I really am, you know," Kuro continued as if she hadn't said anything. "I wouldn't want such an interesting specimen to expire at such an early stage. There are many things I still want to try first."

"…I said get away…!"

"Really now, don't be that way. It won't hurt him. Much."

Reimi felt anger swell up inside her. It wasn't an emotion she was used to feeling. Drawing up kunai into both her hands, she charged at Kuro. Swinging the two bladed weapons in wide arcs, she found herself missing all of her attacks. Growing even more angered, she summoned a handful of shuriken and launched them point blank at Kuro. Much to her surprise, he somehow managed to dodge them.

"Remarkable," commented Kuro has he continued to dodge her strikes with almost lazy ease. "I did not even see you draw those shuriken. I wonder, what trick did you use?"

"…out of my way!" Reimi increased the speed of her strikes, her frustration building as they all missed.

…_I can't defeat him like this…!_

Taking a few steps backwards, she took a glance over to where the mangled Shiro lay. He was obviously in no condition to do anything. She didn't even look for Suzumi, knowing that even if the girl was conscious she could do nothing to help.

_…I can't rely on anyone… I'll have to find a way myself…! …I'll run!_

"Have you decided to surrender yourself?" Kuro asked. "Surely you can see that you cannot win. Take my advice and cease this dull conflict."

"…you're right. I can't win…" said Reimi. "But that doesn't mean you win either…!" She dropped a smoke bomb to the ground, using it as cover as she quickly made her way to Naruto's side. Reaching towards him, the crimson chakra burnt her hand and forced her to step back. "…what?"

She had no time to ponder what the chakra was. She felt Kuro suddenly behind her, and she barely ducked in time to avoid a powerful blow to her head. She spun low to the ground, lashing out with her kunai into the thick smoke wildly. Again she failed to hit him.

"I suggest you give up soon," Kuro said, his unnaturally calm voice piercing through the smoke. "Struggling any further would be rather pointless and cause you unnecessary harm. You're an important specimen as well, and I'd really rather avoid wear and tear."

"…you're crazy…" Reimi glanced at Naruto for a moment, before turning back to Kuro's voice. "…I won't let someone like you lay a finger on Naruto."

The smoke cleared enough for Kuro's grinning face to come into view, a sight that greatly unnerved Reimi. "Fortunately for me, you don't have a choice in the matter."

Reimi felt her legs give out underneath her, and she fell to her knees. "…what?"

"Perhaps you've forgotten," Kuro said as he stepped closer, "but my gas is still lingering in this area. You've been breathing it for a while now. I imagine movement has become quite impossible for you."

It was true. Reimi could feel her strength sapping from her entire body. Her adrenaline left her, and she felt increasingly more lightheaded with each moment that passed. "…you…"

"Do not fret your pretty little head," Kuro said soothingly. "I'll take good care of your body. It won't go to waste. And your friend's too. His body is most fascinating, and I'll make sure to spend much time with it."

Reimi couldn't feel anything anymore, and she could barely see what was in front of her. With the last of her strength she managed to turn herself around towards Naruto. She reached out a wavering hand towards him, unfeeling of the burning sensation as the dark red chakra corroded her arm. "…Naruto…!"

"So concerned for him? I wonder, for what reason?" she vaguely heard Kuro say, but ignored him. Instead, she continued to struggle towards Naruto. Her hand touched his arm just as she felt her consciousness slip.

_…Naruto._

**LineSkipHere**

The Hokage eyed the decrepit old man before him warily. The man's body was crippled and old, but his mind was still as sharp as ever. "Danzo… I trust you know why I've called you here."

"Of course," Danzo answered evenly. "I'm not one for beating around the bush. But you were aware of that, I'm sure."

"I see…" Sarutobi gave a weary sigh. "And you don't feel any remorse whatsoever?"

"I protected Konoha. What need do I have for remorse?"

"Completely unrepentant. Do the lives of Konoha's future ninjas mean so little to you?"

"They mean much to me. Naruto's death just means more. His continued existence is detrimental to this village."

"Disregarding young Naruto, what of the other lives you have thrown away? Do you feel nothing for them as well?"

"Hyuuga Shiro was a regrettable loss, but the others are easily replaceable. Tsubame Kiriko is insane, and Kamino Suzumi nothing special. Nothing to make a fuss about."

Furious, Sarutobi stood from his seat. "And you would just have them killed? You are far more dangerous than the Kyuubi ever could be! I should have you arrested and killed right now!"

"Go ahead," Danzo said challengingly. "Have the ANBU you have stationed outside come and imprison me. They're more than a match for a cripple such as I."

Sarutobi stood there, trembling with thinly veiled anger. He glared with smoldering eyes at the old man, his intent to kill almost tangible. Danzo met his gaze with his own, not backing down in the slightest. For a moment, it looked as if the two old men were about to come to blows. But then Sarutobi let out a deep breath and sat back down, looking tired.

"You hold too much sway I expect that if I took such actions it would split Konoha as a whole in a civil war," he said. "That is not something we can afford. Not so soon after the Kyuubi's attack. You know that perfectly well."

"I'm glad you can see reason."

"Don't mistake me," Sarutobi said dangerously. "I may not be able to punish you through official channels, but that does not mean I'm letting you go."

"Oh?"

Sarutobi grinned predatorily. "You'll find that I've taken several steps to dethrone you from your seat of power. The funds you have been siphoning have been cut off completely, and the ninja you've been utilizing have been reassigned. Your ROOT organization is fast becoming just an empty shell."

"Really now."

Sarutobi inwardly frowned at the man's lack of reaction, but didn't let it show on his face. "You'll also find that your plans for young Naruto's death shall not proceed as you hoped. I have already dispatched a team for the sole purpose of ensuring their safe return."

This Danzo reacted to, his face contorting in an ugly expression of anger. "You'd let the Kyuubi live? You are the one with no regard for Konoha! You are the one who would allow that monstrosity into our walls!"

"You are the monstrosity I am most concerned about. Naruto is an innocent boy who has done nothing to hurt us. You would do well to keep that in mind the next time you attempt to murder him."

Danzo took a moment to calm himself. "You tread dangerous grounds, Sarutobi."

"As do you," the Hokage returned coolly.

"Your lax ways will prove to be Konoha's undoing," Danzo warned.

"Perhaps. But I don't believe that will happen." Sarutobi leaned back into his chair. "A word of caution. One day, you will not have the backing you enjoy today. I advise you to watch yourself for when that day comes."

Danzo nodded stiffly, his fury clear in his eyes. "I'll remember that, Sarutobi. I'll be sure to remember." He stood to leave, but couldn't resist one last parting shot. "Watch your back, Sarutobi. It would be… terrible if our Hokage had an unfortunate accident."

Sarutobi watched grimly as the old man hobbled his way out. He didn't like Danzo. The man was too zealous. During the last Great War, his drive to protect Konoha from everything was an asset. But nowadays his methods were overbearing and heavy handed. Still, the sheer amount of followers he had gave him much power and it was difficult to disagree with him. Especially if you wanted to keep your life.

"Danzo..." the Hokage muttered. "He's dangerous but… having him disappear would be dangerous as well. A double edged blade… One I would rather not wield, but am forced to."

At a quick hand gesture, an ANBU appeared kneeling before the Hokage. "Hokage-sama."

"Keep an eye on him. Make sure he can't send any messages whatsoever. I need him to be locked down for the next twenty-four hours. A complete information blackout."

The ANBU nodded. "Understood."

The Hokage shut his eyes as the ANBU left. It had been a while since he'd made a major move like this, but he would show the Council why he was the Hokage. They'd be pissed, of course. But stepping on a few toes wasn't something he was particularly worried about. He carried on the Will of Fire after all.

**LineSkipHere**

"…My head hurts," muttered Suzumi. She cracked her eyes open, and winced at the sudden light. She took a few moments to accustom herself to it. "…What happened? The last thing I…" She froze. "Naruto! He said there was a smell and…"

Quickly realizing what must've happened she tried to get to her feet, but her body felt sluggish and was slow to respond. Still, she was able to move and managed to take a few shaky steps forward. "Looks like all those poisons inoculations I was inundated with when I was young are paying off," she muttered.

She spotted Shiro lying a good distance away. Her eyes widened at his severe injuries. "Sh-Shiro-san!" She started to run towards him, but her slowed reactions caused her to trip over her own legs and fall to the ground.

A loud sound caught her attention as she got back up. She looked and saw a cloud of thick smoke rising into the air, obscuring the ground. "What's that?" she wondered as she sat up.

Vague silhouettes of two people fighting stirred within the smoke. The smaller of the two attacked furiously, but it was obvious the taller one had the advantage. Then, suddenly the smaller one fell to the ground.

"It's over?" Suzumi asked as she scooted forward to try to get a better view.

A concussive wave suddenly blew past her and she raised an arm to shield her eyes. The force of it flipped her onto her back, and she winced at the sudden impact. When she looked again, the smoke had been cleared away and the two figures were visible, one a darkly dressed man with white hair and the other a small girl with a black kimono. Her attention though was instantly drawn to a third person, Naruto who was lying unconscious on the ground. Strange red chakra clung to him, lashing out wildly. Everything it touched seemed to melt away.

"Red chakra? That's… not the right color, is it?"

She saw the girl struggle towards Naruto with what looked to be the last of her strength. She reached out and touched the unconscious boy's arm, braving the rampant chakra that burnt at her skin. And then suddenly the chakra flared upwards, leaving Naruto's body in a dazzling display. The girl's body lifted into the air, and a glowing seal appeared on her stomach. The red chakra disappeared into the seal, and for a few moments all was quiet.

Then, without warning, the red chakra exploded once again into the air, tendrils of it flailing about. After a few moments of wild movement, it coalesced into a vague, floating form of a demonic fox with nine tails. She instantly recognized it from the tales she had grown up hearing. "K-K-Kyuubi?"

It was about the size of a grown man, a fraction of what its true form was told to be. Nonetheless, even just its image imparted a distinct sense of fear. Suzumi found all her limbs devoid of their strength, and it took all her willpower to fight off the terror.

"…so this is the power that cause so much destruction to Konoha… and it doesn't look like it's at even a quarter of its full strength…"

The small black haired girl stood hunched over as the red chakra whirled about her. Her limbs hung limply, almost as if she were a puppet held aloft by invisible strings.

Next to the girl, Naruto lay unmoving. The chakra had moved him from his position, and Suzumi could see that his white shirt was stained red with blood where a large rip was. For a moment she started to panic, before seeing that the boy was still breathing, and had no visible wounds despite what the blood evidenced.

The darkly dressed man stood a few feet away from the mass of chakra. He had a look of utter fascination and rapture on his face.

"Fascinating… How utterly fascinating!" the man yelled loudly. "This is truly a unique find! Is this what one would call a bijuu? A sealed demon within a host! What horribly destructive powers it has!" A maniacal gleam entered his eyes. "That power… I will make it mine!"

Suzumi frowned. _This guy is after the Kyuubi? He's crazy!_

A thick strand of chakra whipped out with a sweeping motion and knocked the deranged white haired man off his feet. Another snaked out again before the ninja could get back up and wrapped around him. It squeezed tightly, the chakra burning deep into the man's flesh.

The man screamed.

It was a painful sight to even look at, and Suzumi found herself greatly disturbed by the man's suffering. She had to force herself to keep watching, fighting down the urge to look away and throw up.

The man managed to break free of the chakra. He had several large burns across his body, and a good portion of his shoulder was missing. He managed a few hand seals and he disappeared from view. But a moment later the chakra slammed into him before he could get away, and he lost his invisibility almost as quickly as he gained it.

"Such power…!" he cackled madly. "Such power… I can't get enough of it!" Blood spurted out of his open wound, and he frowned. Closing it with a quick healing jutsu, he sighed dejectedly. "But if I do not live, I will not be able to properly enjoy it. Pardon my rudeness, but I must take my leave now."

He took to the rooftops, retreating quickly. The chakra reached out for him, but failed to reach far enough. The chakra gathered itself before launching up after him, pulling the girl along with it. It chased the man as he ran away.

Seeing her chance, Suzumi quickly dragged Shiro to where Naruto was. It was a tiresome task, especially since she barely had any chakra available. She collapsed to the ground next to them, breathing heavily. "I have to get them away from here," she muttered to herself. "If that's the Kyuubi then…" She glanced down at Naruto and frowned. "What happened while I was out…?"

She tiredly moved to check on Naruto's condition. The moment she touched him though, Naruto's eyes snapped open. In an instant he was on his feet, eyes darting about. His gaze fell on Suzumi. "Huh? What's going on here? I was fighting that Kuro bastard and then…" His face fell as he remembered falling unconscious. He glanced at Shiro on the ground and looked surprised. "Shiro? He lost? Shiro actually lost to that psycho?"

"Slow down," Suzumi said as she massaged the sides of her head. "You're giving me a headache with your jabbering."

"Just tell me where the white haired guy went! He's an enemy!"

Suzumi frowned. "I know where he went but… you don't want to follow."

"Huh? Why not?" Naruto asked.

It took a moment for Suzumi to respond. "You… do you feel any… different? Since you awoke, I mean? Like do you feel anything… missing?"

Naruto thought about it. "No, not really. I don't…" His eyes widened. "Reimi…?" He waited for her response, but nothing came. "Reimi? Shit, where's Reimi?!"

"Who?"

"Reimi! She's…" Naruto hesitated before continuing. "I… Reimi is the girl inside me head," he finally said.

Suzumi looked at Naruto awkwardly.

"She talks to me and everything! And she can do stuff!"

Suzumi continued to stare.

"I'm not crazy!" Naruto defended himself.

"I didn't say you were." Suzumi shook her head. "The Kyuubi is sealed inside of you. It would be strange if you _didn't_ have a few oddities. A voice in your head is rather mild compared to what else I could imagine." She paused for a moment, and then admitted, "Well, okay. I wouldn't believe you if I hadn't seen what I did…"

"Huh?"

"There was a girl, and she went after that other guy."

"She what?! We've gotta go help her!"

"I… really don't think she needed help," Suzumi said. "She was kicking him around fairly handily the last I saw."

"What? But she's not…" Naruto looked confused. "She's not that strong. It's not possible that she could beat that guy…"

"…Hey Naruto-kun," began Suzumi uncomfortably. "Have you ever been able to… use the Kyuubi's power… before…?"

"Of course not! I don't even know if I can! What's this got to do with Reimi?"

"Then… that girl is in real trouble… It really didn't look like she was okay…"

"What?" Naruto looked alarmed. "Tell me what you saw."

Suzumi frowned. "Well, it happened really fast and I wasn't in the best condition but…" She told him what she had seen as best she could.

Naruto turned and looked grimly at the destruction the Kyuubi's chakra had wrought. "I'm going after her."

"W-Wait! Don't do it!" protested Suzumi. "You can't go after that thing! The Kyuubi will tear you apart!"

"I have to," Naruto said. "Me and Reimi, we're real close. I don't think anyone else can understand the bond we have. I dunno what's going on here, but I've gotta go after her."

Suzumi shifted in place uncomfortably. "You're right. I don't understand that kind of bond. But I do know the bond between teammates, and I won't let you go get yourself killed."

"You're going to stop me?" Naruto asked, looking at Suzumi's worn condition. "How? You can barely stand yourself."

"You're underestimating me, Naruto-kun," Suzumi chided as she pulled out a kunai.

"You can't beat me. I'm not in the best shape, but you're far worse. There's no chance of my losing, barring a complete and total miracle."

"Who said I had to beat you?" Suzumi raised the kunai to her own neck.

"Su-Suzumi!" Naruto blanched. "What are you doing!"

"Looking out for my much too brash teammate," she said. "And making sure my friend doesn't get himself killed."

"Stop this! Put that kunai away!"

Suzumi shook her head. "Not until you promise me you're not going after that monster."

"Reimi isn't a monster!"

"I'm sure she isn't, normally. But what I saw was not human at all. If you go after it, you will die. I won't let that happen."

"Suzumi…" He stood there, unsure of what to do. _I have to get to Reimi, but…_

"We're going to find Tsubame-san. We can't deal with the demon fox by ourselves. If you really want to go after her, do it after we've regrouped." Suzumi glanced down at Shiro. "He needs medical attention too, and he's not going to get it here."

Naruto hesitated, and then slowly nodded. "What you say makes sense…"

"Then you'll stop this idiocy?" Suzumi asked hopefully. She unconsciously moved the kunai away from her neck as she spoke

Naruto jumped on the chance. With a flick of his hand, the chakra he had been moving towards her latched onto the kunai and tore it from her hand. Before she could react he was at her side, taking away her equipment pouch from her waist.

"It makes sense," Naruto said, "but I've never been one to consider risks and all that."

She tried to back away from him, but he twisted her arms behind her and kicked the back of her knees, forcing her to the ground. She stopped struggling once it became clear she couldn't break free. "Stop it, Naruto-kun! This is stupid! You can't do it by yourself! There's no way!"

"Hey, who do you think you're talking to?" Naruto said indignantly. "That may be a super powerful demon, but I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Genius ninja of Konoha!"

"More like idiot Genin with delusions of grandeur."

Naruto frowned. "That doesn't sound quite right… But seriously. I'm going after her. No matter what."

Suzumi shook her head and let out a sigh. "I see I can't stop you…" she said after a pause. "Just promise me one thing."

"What?"

"Don't die."

Naruto grinned earnestly. "Of course."

Suzumi suddenly felt Naruto's hands leave her body. She instantly whirled around, but it was too late. He was already gone. She winced as she rubbed her wrist where Naruto had gripped her. "Stupid boy," she muttered. "He's definitely going to get himself killed one of these days…"

She turned to Shiro and frowned before hefting his arm heavily over her shoulders. "She'd better be worth it, Naruto-kun...." Glancing once in the direction Naruto had gone, she started off in the opposite direction, taking Shiro with her.

**LineSkipHere**

Naruto leapt from rooftop to rooftop as he searched for Reimi. A burst of familiar chakra caught his attention and he instantly moved towards it. He came to an open, cobble stoned plaza. A large fountain stood at its center, water leaking from a large hole in its side. Next to it, he saw a large mass of red chakra that towered over a severely hurt Kuro, and at the center of the chakra stood a girl he recognized.

"Reimi!"

The girl didn't react to his voice. Instead, she pounced onto Kuro, her hands clawing at him. The chakra burnt at the man, scorching his skin as he tried to fend her off. Her vicious attack proved too much, and she managed to tear an arm from his shoulder clear off. Her jaws clamped down onto his other arm.

"Grah! Let go of me! I will not… Not in a place like this… Gaahh!"

Naruto moved closer, ignoring Kuro's agonized cries. "Reimi! Snap out of it! It's me, Naruto!" He thought he saw her twitch slightly, her head turning slightly in his direction and decided to keep pressing. "Stop it, Reimi! C'mon, get your act together! Think about what you're doing!"

This time she noticeably reacted. Her arms trembled as if struggling against some unseen force. After a moment, she turned her head to him. Her eyes rolled upwards.

"She's unconscious?!"

Chakra came at him, and he barely retreated in time to avoid it. He scowled. "Damnit, this is going to hurt."

Kuro's body went limp, and his screams abruptly stopped. The chakra shook him a few times to see if he'd react, before dropping the man she turned her full attention to Naruto. The boy unwillingly took a step back as she advanced on him in short, jerking motions.

"C'mon, Reimi! Now would be a really good time to wake up!"

She paused, and for a moment it looked like his words had reached her. But then she started advancing again. Chakra came dangerously close to hitting him, and he took a few more steps backwards. "Uh, this would seriously be a great time to stop this…" A clump of chakra extended from Reimi, hovering above as it prepared to crush him. "Okay, that's enough of that," Naruto growled.

The blonde boy moved backwards some more for good measure and formed hand seals. "Heh, you wouldn't approve of me trying untested abilities here, but this is an emergency. And you're definitely in no position to stop me."

Just as the Kyuubi's chakra was about to hit him, he unleashed his own chakra against it. Almost immediately he felt the sheer difference in power, his knees almost buckling under the strain. Gritting his teeth, he redoubled his effort, pouring out as much chakra as he could channel. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and he winced as it entered his eyes.

_Shit… this is harder than I thought! But I can't lose like this…!_

Drawing chakra he didn't know he had, he pushed harder against the red chakra. He didn't notice, but his own chakra became visible, slightly tinted red. With a great push, he managed to force Reimi back, sending her body limply toppling to the ground.

Almost instantly she was back on her feet, the red chakra raging forward. Summoning more chakra, Naruto met it head on. He felt himself being pushed back in the face of the onslaught. His strength sapped away, and he felt the onset of chakra exhaustion.

"I can't… I won't lose here!"

With a burst of strength, he dispersed the Kyuubi's chakra. Before it could reform, he dashed forward and grabbed Reimi's limp body by her forehead

"Snap out of it, Reimi!"

Chakra surged forth from his hand into her head, and her body jerked as if struck. He felt a foreign presence in her and gripped it with his chakra. With a hard pull, he dragged a sliver of red chakra out of her head. Stumbling backwards, her eyes fluttered open, surprise evident on her face.

"…Naruto? …what?"

"Sorry, no time to talk!" Naruto pulled the girl and leapt away just as the Kyuubi's chakra tried to return. He landed on the roofs in a low crouch, close to reaching the limits of his stamina.

"…Naruto… what's going on…?" Reimi asked. She had a confused look on her face and was still trying to get her bearings. She glanced down and her eyes widened at the sight of the red chakra. Momentarily it formed into the shape of the nine tailed fox, before it lost its form and turned back into an indistinct mass of chakra. It looked like it was having trouble holding its shape.

"The Kyuubi's chakra got out somehow," Naruto said. "It was controlling you or something. I have no idea how but…"

Reimi glanced away guiltily. "…I may have had… something to do with that…"

"Huh?"

She told him about her removing the seal. "…I didn't think I had a choice…"

Naruto stared at her. "You what?! What are you, stupid? Why'd you go and do something like that?"

"…sorry."

Naruto sighed. "Well, at least it doesn't seem to have fully gotten free. How are you feeling?"

"…I don't think I'm hurt."

"Good. If we work together, I think we can take it out. Don't let your guard down. Just holding it off for a little while drained most of my strength."

Reimi nodded. She reached into her kimono sleeves and pulled out an ornate looking knife she had taken from Genichiro's collection. "…use this…"

Taking the knife, Naruto unsheathed it and gave it an experimental swing. For someone his size, it was more a sword than a knife. "Useful," he said, "especially since I can't use much chakra at this point. Though I'm not sure how much effect it would have on it." He gave it another swing and the blade gave a sudden glow. "Whoa, a chakra weapon! Never thought I'd get my hands on one of these! Heh, this'll be handy."

The sudden feel of the Kyuubi's chakra spiking alerted Naruto to its recovery. "Looks like we're out of time to talk. Let's go."

Reimi nodded weakly, kunai materializing into her hands. "…I don't know how much use I can be to you… but I'll try my best…"

Naruto grinned. "That'll be more than enough."

The blonde boy jumped down at the chakra beast below. He struck at it with his blade, piercing deep into his head. "Take this!" Dragging the sword through the beast, he arced it around his body as he spun away to avoid the grasping chakra. He retreated out of its range before it could recover. "This thing… its speed seems to have slowed some."

Kunai rained down onto the beast, courtesy of Reimi. It dealt only minor damage that was easily healed. The girl frowned at the ineffectiveness of her attack.

"…then let's try this…"

She again threw kunai at the chakra, but this time wrapped explosive tags to the handles. When the kunai pierced into the chakra, she activated the tags. They exploded powerfully, dispersing parts of the red chakra away.

"…did it work?"

Chakra suddenly shot out of the smoke, catching Reimi by surprise. It managed to snag her by her leg before she could get away, and she bit down a scream as it burnt her. Naruto came to her rescue, cutting the chakra with his blade.

"Don't let your guard down," he barked as he forced the chakra to retreat. "It doesn't seem as strong now that it isn't clinging to you, but it'll still kill you if you give it the chance."

"…so-sorry…"

Naruto stared at her for a moment, before being forced to turn his attention back to the fight, using his weapon to fend off the chakra. "You're acting strange, Reimi. It's not like you to be so timid. Snap out of it and help me out here."

"…sorry." The girl gave a slight bow. "…I'll try harder…"

"Right…" Naruto frowned at the girl's strange behavior. Deciding to ignore it for now, he pressed his attack on the red chakra. He slashed at it with his blade wildly, slicing the chakra into pieces as it came.

Reimi rushed past him as he held its attention. More kunai appeared in her hands, and she used them to attack the red chakra. The metal weapons had the same amount of effect as before though, barely even scratching the monster. The chakra retaliated, and she felt a burning sting across her arms as it sent her flying backwards towards a building. Instead of crashing into it though, she passed through its wall. A moment later she came out of the wall and rushed back into the fight.

The chakra Kyuubi launched an attack that sent its chakra flying in all directions, piercing through whatever it touched. Several went after Naruto, but the blonde boy quickly stepped around them. Concentrating, he sent his own burst of chakra out. It struck its target, sending the incorporeal beast reeling backwards.

Before the chakra Kyuubi could recover, Naruto was suddenly next to it, hacking away with his chakra blade. With each stroke he cleaved away more and more of it. But even as fast as he destroyed it, it healed itself twice as fast. In only a few moments it closed its wounds and forced Naruto to back away.

"This thing is tough," Naruto said to Reimi as he landed next to her.

"…it's smaller than before…"

"Yeah. Not by much though. It looks like it can fix itself, but it can't generate anymore chakra. If we can just outlast it, we win. Shouldn't be too hard. Even if it's a super ancient demon of destruction and all that."

"…um…"

"What are you spacing out for? C'mon, let's finish this!"

"…r-right!"

Together, they systematically took apart the monster. Each time it reformed itself they defeated it again, cleaving away chakra with each attack. It retaliated with rapid strikes, but its strength seemed to have disappeared, and they were easily dodged. With each passing hour more of its strength was sapped away, rendering it weaker and weaker. The sun was setting when they finally destroyed the last bit of the chakra.

"You okay, Reimi?" Naruto asked as he collapsed to the ground. He was exhausted in both his physical and mental faculties, and he felt a burning sensation in his muscles when he tried to move.

"…I'm fine… Naruto," she answered. It was obvious that she wasn't though. Her face was unnaturally pale, and her pupils were dilated. She was panting heavily, wincing at each breath she took. "…are you… okay…?"

"I'll live. Nothing serious."

"…good…" Reimi said with a small sigh of relief.

"I've gotta say though, I'd probably be hurting a lot more if it weren't for my quick healing." The blonde boy glanced again at the girl. "Are you sure you're okay? You're really not looking all that good."

"…I'm just… not used to moving so much…" She closed her eyes and her ragged breathing slowed. "…I just need… to rest…"

Naruto nodded. "You and me both. Hopefully nothing else happens. I don't think we've had a real chance to rest for a while now." He glanced at the setting sun. "We should get back to the others. They're probably getting worried by now."

"So worried we came looking for you," said a voice from behind.

Surprised, Naruto turned to see who it was. "Souju! What are you doing here?"

"Kamino-san said you were out here. Figures you'd need help." He nodded at Reimi. "Who are you?"

Reimi froze, unsure of how to reply.

"No one you need to worry about. A civilian," Naruto answered for her as he stood. "More importantly, is everyone alright? Last I saw Shiro was in a rather bad way, and I don't know where Kiriko-sensei ran off to."

"Hyuua Shiro's stable, but he's in pretty bad shape. Tsubame Kiriko is fine physically. Her actions during this mission were rather odd though, and we'll be launching an official investigation into that And that girl is definitely not just a civilian. Not with those kinds of battle wounds."

Naruto shrugged. "I accidentally got her involved. It was my mistake."

Souju snorted. "Yeah right. You'll have to try harder than that if you want to sneak one past me. I know the difference between wounds taken during battle and wounds taken while running away. She was definitely fighting."

"Looks the same to me."

The Uchiha boy stared intensely at Naruto for a few moments, before giving a sigh and turning around. "Well, whatever you say. It doesn't matter much, I suppose."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Naruto asked. He tried to take a step forward, but found that he couldn't move. "What?"

"…Naruto… your feet are…"

Heeding Reimi's warning, Naruto glanced down. "My legs! What the heck?"

"Kage Shibari no Jutsu. I've bound your shadow to mine. You won't be escaping anytime soon."

Naruto looked to see a Konoha ANBU, his hands together forming a seal. Another large sized ANBU held a kunai to the back of Reimi's neck. The blonde boy glared at Souju. "What's going on here?" he demanded to know.

"Apparently you did something really bad," Souju said. "Though I too would like to know just what that is exactly, Shikaku-senpai."

"That's right," the ANBU mused. "You aren't old enough to remember." He scratched the back of his head. "Well, I can't tell you, but suffice to say it's a pretty weighty matter." He looked down at Reimi. "I remember you, girl."

Reimi's eyes widened as she recognized the man. "…from the Konoha Annal…"

"I got dressed down for your escape that time. Something about letting spies get away with valuable Konoha information."

"Shit! Get out of here, Reimi!" Naruto yelled, knowing what Konoha did with spies.

Responding reflexively to his words, the girl immediately began sinking into the ground, but was knocked out by one of the other ANBU before she could get away.

"Reimi!" Naruto struggled against his invisible binds furiously. "Get your hands off her, you assholes!"

"Calm down, Naruto-san," said Souju. "Stop wasting your energy. You're only making things worse for yourself." He hesitated before adding, "I don't want to have to hurt you."

"Bastard! Let me go, damnit!"

"It doesn't look like he's going to come with us quietly," the ANBU holding Reimi said. "Knock him out."

Souju narrowed his eyes. "Our orders were to ensure his safety."

"Our orders were to make sure _everyone_ is safe," retorted Shikaku. "And that means making sure this kid doesn't go berserk and kill us all." He cast an apologetic glance at Naruto. "No offense, kid. But I've got my team to look after so I'll have you sleep for a bit."

Naruto barely saw the man move before his world went dark.

**LineSkipHere**

A/N:

Spoilers, info, etc.

Blah… I can't believe how much I cut out of this chapter. Over 100 pages deleted/rewritten, 10 or so moved to another section where I keep stuff I'm planning to rework, and then 15 delayed to the next chapter. Really wanted this to be the last chapter for this story arc, but the sheer length is making me add another one. I don't expect the next one to be as long, or take as much time since I already have a sizable amount typed for it. I'll be spending a lot of time correcting this chapter though. I didn't like the last portion of it much at all.

**Kuro – **He actually had a lot more scenes before I decided to cut them all out before I delved too far into his character. His importance as a character dropped a lot. Kinda worried he's not developed enough now. Same with Genichiro and the salamander masked ANBU, who all shared some scenes. What do you guys think? Did I snip a bit too much? It kinda feels incomplete, but that could just be me.

**Haku** – Yeah. Haku hasn't made an appearance yet, but I'm wondering whether he/she should be included. I have scenes written for both his death, or her living. The male dying and the female living. Anyone have thoughts on this? I'm having a hard time deciding whether to keep him/her alive.

**Jutsus**

Yeah, I figure a short list would be good. Probably forgot a few, but I'll try to get them all.

Bunshin – Replication. Makes a illusionary clone of yourself.

Henge – Transformation. A common fandom thing is that its only an illusion, but that doesn't seem to be the case to me since Sasuke obviously used Naruto like a giant shuriken, and Gamabunta expect a Henge to help him hold down Shukaku.

Kawarimi – Exchange. Kinda. Changes spots with a log to avoid a hit. Can really be done with anything, as evidenced by the white rabbit in the Wave arc, but logs are traditional.

**Uzumaki Naruto**

Dai Bakuretsu Reppudan – Big exploding strong wind ball. Or something akin to that. In a way it's a cross of the Chidori and Rasengan with the wind element. Basically Naruto compresses the air extremely tightly in his hand, and then impacts it against something, releasing all the compacted force. Rather unwieldy because of its random damage, but its flashy so he likes it.

Kaze no Michi – Path of wind. Naruto actually can't use it at full power, and can only lift small objects with it. At full power it can lift a full grown person, and is intended to be used that way. He'll get a technique he likes better than this later, so this will become obsolete.

Fuusoku Kaishin – Wind speed return. Or something close to that. It's akin to the Hiraishin of the Yondaime, but differs in a few major points. First it doesn't use special kunai to activate. Naruto basically infuses a location with his special chakra (which is part of his bloodline, if you haven't figured it out already) and then 'jumps' to that spot using wind as the conduit. Doing so drains the chakra there, so he has to infuse it again if he wants to go back to the same spot. It's a lot slower than the Hiraishin, but a bit more flexible in movement. It's going to get an upgrade later, but not anytime soon.

**Kamino Suzumi**

Special Paper – Though not mentioned, a lot of her techniques require special paper. Without it, she can only use like a quarter of her techniques. Her dependency on it is a huge weak point. It's a secret that the Kamino's use special paper.

Kami no Kokyuu – Breath of paper. Or can be read as breath of god. Gives paper a bit of autonomous movement that the user can control. What the paper is shaped as can give it different abilities. Such as a crane being used to fly about and spy on things. A tiger would have really sharp claws. And so on. Requires special paper.

Chizu Kasei – Map metamorphosis. Or something like that. She basically grows a map out of special paper.

Kami Bogyou – Paper defense. A rather easy one. Also god defense. Hardens paper which she can use as a shield.

Kami no Omosa – Weight of paper. Or weight of the gods. Basically changes the weight of paper, usually making it heavier. The more chakra you use, the heavier it gets. Another technique that requires special paper.

Kami Yari – Paper spear. Exactly like its name. Paper spears. I guess also god spear. Kinda like this name because it sounds like Kaminari, which is thunder.

Kami Bunshin – Paper replication. Or godly replication. One of Suzumi's 'Big Three' techniques. Requires lots of special paper and an exorbitant amount of chakra. In return, she gets a thinking clone of herself that's able to do a lot of paper techniques.

Tenjou no Emon – Heaven's clothes. Requires a large sheet of special paper. Grants the user what pretty much amounts to the ultimate armor. In a sense, its defensive capabilities are on par with the Kaiten and Gaara's sand defense, and it allows invisibility to boot, along with certain paper jutsu. The second of Suzumi's 'Big Three' techniques. Had to debate for a bit on the naming, but decided Emon suited it.

Kami no Ibara Mori – Thorn forest of paper. Or God's thorn forest. Last of Suzumi's 'Big Three'. Suzumi's actually doing a variation of it here, but it's supposed to be used inside the Kamino main building, where there's paper everywhere. What it does is controls paper all over the place all at once. Being able to use paper jutsu by just thinking about it is amazingly cheap. Think being able to fire any type of fire jutsu from any location. Of course, it uses an exorbitant amount of chakra and paper and would completely drain even a Jounin. That Suzumi can even use it speaks much of her ability, even if she's using a toned down version of it.

**Uchiha Souju**

Goukakyuu no jutsu – Grand fire blast. Fires a fire ball. Uchiha specialty, even if it's the most basic fire technique supposedly. Elemental manipulation is a Chuunin technique after all. And then Jounin's take it a step further with dual elements and all that.

**Hyuuga Shiro**

Kage Bunshin – Shadow replication. Makes solid clones, splitting ones chakra to do so. Yeah, I know. Rather odd to see it on someone other than Naruto. But I figured it would be cool for a Hyuuga to do 64 palms with it. I don't think I included the scene where Shiro tried it on Kuro, but I did have it written at one point.

**Tsubame Kiriko**

I don't think I gave her techniques any names, but her style basically revolves around her thirteen swords and the fourteen special techniques. She's really only sane when she uses the thirteenth sword with the fourteenth technique. And only then is she at her most powerful. Pretty sure I included the scene where she pwns a bunch of ninja with it. But as she's crazy, she can't hold onto her sanity for long so it's a very limited use technique for her. She also used a technique for people finding (third sword, nodachi), but I don't think I included that scene though the results were visible.

Wow, didn't realize Suzumi had that many techniques. A shame since she'll never use them again after this story arc. The bloodlines I left out, as they're not jutsu per se, and I assume everyone already knows the eye jutsu. The rest I'm not talking about yet. Well, that's that I guess. Nothing left to say.

じゃね！


	5. Departure

**Paradigm**

_Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto or any of its affiliated trademarks._

A/N:

Took forever to get this chapter out. Worked on it for such a long time I'm not even sure what's even in it anymore. Seriously, I've cut and added scenes so many times, it's all just kinda blurring together in my mind. Especially all the small details that I always throw in to hint at future events. Don't remember how many I remembered to add, and don't really care too much at this point either. Also, I ended up dropping an entire subplot because it was getting too complicated to keep in. I'm getting too fed up with this chapter to work it in, and since I have to add it here otherwise it won't make sense, I'm dropping it entirely. Sorry Shiro, but you just lost your entire back-story and stuff. Maybe I'll make an omake file type thing and add it in there. Heavens knows how many ideas I'm skipping/not planning to write because I can't fit it in anywhere.

It didn't help that I had crap tons of writing homework. Being expected to write 14 paged essays about a subject I don't care about at all in less than a month is a lot more trouble than it's worth. Not to mention the sheer amount of homework I actually had, including a lab class where I got stuck with a deadbeat group that pretty much relied on my to answer everything. And science isn't even one of my better subjects… Really put a damper on my drive to write this.

Eventually, I got sick and tired of rewriting the same things over and over, and just decided to take stuff from different versions and throw it together in a vague semblance of a story. Of course, I went over it and made things actually make sense, but if there happens to be something that all of a sudden seems like nonsense, then you know the reason behind it. Make sure to let me know too, since I'm rather a perfectionist, even though I know I can't afford to be most of the time.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that, due to the way I wrote this, it was rather unplanned and random. I thought it would end at about 50 pages, but for some reason I ended up with my usual 60+ page mark.

**LineSkipHere**

Chapter 4

The Hokage folded his hands on his desk as he listened to Shikaku's report. He had an unreadable look, not letting any of his thoughts show on his face. When Shikaku finished his report, the Hokage said nothing for a while as he processed the information.

"This girl," the Hokage finally said, "what do you make of her?"

"The girl who claims to have lived within Uzumaki-san's mind?" Shikaku asked. At the Hokage's nod, he continued. "Reimi doesn't seem antagonistic towards Konoha, though it would be hard to call her an ally either. If anything, she seems more like an ally of Uzumaki-san than anything else."

"So you don't think she's an enemy."

"No, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage leaned back into his large chair, lifting his oversized pipe to his lips. He didn't light it though. His mind was too occupied to do so.

"Do you believe she actually resided inside Naruto's mind?" the Hokage asked.

Shikaku took a moment before he answered. "She… has an odd ability, perhaps a bloodline limit. She seems to be able to travel directly through inanimate objects, and is capable of storing multiple objects inside of her, regardless of its size relative to her own. To reverse that effect to allow her to live inside Uzumaki-san's mind is not impossible."

"A bloodline limit that allows the user such abilities…" The Hokage closed his eyes. "That sort of bloodline does not exist on this continent."

"A new bloodline limit then, Hokage-sama?"

"No." The Hokage shook his head. "It doesn't exist on this continent, but believe I have heard of bloodline with such abilities that exists across the ocean. I cannot say for sure until I conduct more thorough research though."

"I see. Then for now, what should we do with her? The others should be arriving with her tomorrow."

"For now, keep her under observation, but don't treat her as a prisoner. We don't want to needlessly provoke her. Keep her away from Naruto-kun though; until we know if she's actually an enemy spy, we can't risk having her in proximity with him."

"Yes, Hokage-sama. I'll put her into isolation as soon as she arrives. What about the situation with Hyuuga Shiro? The Hyuuga clan will be wanting him in their custody."

"His condition is in no danger of worsening? He is alright?"

"It's stabilized, though he's not alright by any definition. The condition of his body isn't good, and he'll probably lose the use of his limbs."

The Hokage grimaced. "Though I'd rather he be in the care of one of our medical staff, there is no reason we can use to deny them custody. Have ANBU take him to the Hyuuga compound when he arrives."

"Understood, Hokage-sama. Is that all?"

The Hokage thought about it for a moment before answering. "Send for Kamino Masahiro. I need to speak with him."

"There's no need for that. I'm already here."

Shikaku startled, surprised that he hadn't noticed the bespectacled old man standing in the corner of the Hokage's office. The Hokage however retained his calm, merely nodding his acknowledgement of the highly skilled ninja's presence.

"You may leave now, Shikaku-san. I have things I must discuss with Masahiro-san here."

"Y-Yes, Hokage-sama," Shikaku said as he left the room, still shaken by Masahiro's sudden appearance.

When Shikaku had left, the Hokage turned his attention to Masahiro. "You've heard already then," he stated, rather than ask.

"Yes, of course. It is my job, after all, to stay on top of these sort of things."

"And the fact that your granddaughter is involved is unrelated.

"Unrelated. Of course."

The Hokage couldn't help but quirk the corner of his lips in a small grin. "You're as stubborn as ever, Masahiro-san."

"About as stubborn as you are," Masahiro returned, reaching up to adjust his glasses.

"You'll be happy to know," the Hokage said, "that your granddaughter, Suzumi, is well. Aside from a few bruises and scratches, she's in perfectly fine health."

"Of course she is," Masahiro said. "I trained her too well for her to be done in by something like this." The old man's face became serious. "Danzo has not been dealt with yet. Why?"

The Hokage's face grew serious as well. "Danzo is not so easily dealt with. His former position has given him great influence, and I can't openly move against him without risking great reprisal from his supporters."

"I could arrange for him to meet with an accident…"

"No." The Hokage shook his head. "It is much too risky. No matter what you think of him, he was still one of Konoha's most elite of ninja. It will be difficult to 'take care of him,' as you put it, let alone do it without anyone realizing."

"Just his presence here is dangerous," Masahiro said. "What he did this time is only the beginning. After this, his actions will become increasingly more bold, especially with that Root organization of his."

"Root… hmmm." The Hokage closed his eyes in thought.

"Have you thought of something?" Masahiro asked. The Hokage nodded.

"Root is a strength that Danzo has, yes. But perhaps we are merely viewing it in the wrong manner. Instead of seeing it as a weapon that Danzo wields, perhaps we should see it instead as a place to strike."

Masahiro's eyes narrowed. "You want to take apart Root in order to get to Danzo." He grinned. "I like it."

"I thought you might," the Hokage said. "I can trust you to take care of it?"

"You know me well. Too well maybe." Masahiro reached into his robes and pulled out a white, ANBU bear mask and slipped it into place on his face. "I'll get on it right away. A tasty mission like this is too much for me to pass up. I'll take care of it personally."

"Don't strain yourself; you're getting old," the Hokage warned.

"I'll be fine," Masahiro said as he turned to leave. "I may be planning on retirement, but I'm still ANBU Commander."

**LineSkipHere**

Naruto fidgeted in his binds, trying to loosen the ropes around his wrists. "Hey," he complained, "can't you untie these? I can't feel my fingers anymore."

"For the last time, no," said Suzumi. She sat next to him, chewing on a nutrient bar. She made a face at the taste as she forced herself to swallow, then wrapped the remaining portion and stuffed it into her backpack. "You do realize," she said to Naruto, "that you're a prisoner."

"Yeah, but couldn't you at least let me feel my fingers?"

"That's the point. You can't use jutsu like that, right?"

"Well, yeah, but still…"

Souju appeared in the clearing with a whirl of leaves. "Hey," he greeted, "how are things?"

"They're the-" started Suzumi, but she was interrupted by an annoyed Naruto.

"How do you think they are," Naruto asked sardonically. "I'm a prisoner, Shiro hasn't woken up yet, and I still don't know where Reimi is!"

Souju scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, can't help you with any of those. That Hyuuga guy will wake up when he wakes up. Can't rush it, with how badly he was wounded. And the whole deal with you and that Reimi girl is a big mess I don't want to get into. I'm still not sure I believe she lived inside your head."

"Hey! It wasn't that she lived in my head, but was just kinda in me!"

"And that makes more sense… how?"

"Souju, you…"

Suzumi took a thermos out of her backpack and unwound its cap. She poured some of its contents into the cap-turned-cup before setting the thermos to the side. Taking a sip out of the cup, she gave a weary sigh. "I wish none of this happened. All of this on my first mission…" She sighed again. "Maybe I'm not cut out for this kind of stuff."

"Considering you came out of this the least hurt, I'd say you're the most suited for this," Souju noted.

"Only because I knocked myself out with that jutsu, and then had to be protected by everyone," Suzumi said bitterly. She took another sip out of her cup.

"What are you drinking, anyways?" Souju asked. "Is it good? I'm kind of thirsty, and I'm out of water."

"You can try, but you won't like it," Suzumi said as she handed him the thermos. Souju took it hesitantly, and warily sniffed its contents.

"Ugh!" He immediately shoved it away from him, looking at it with a hint of apprehension. "What the heck is this? You drink this stuff?"

"It's for my health," she said. "Nutrients, and that kind of stuff."

Souju glanced at the thermos suspiciously, before handing it back to Suzumi. "Well, if you say so," he said.

"Here," Suzumi said as she reached into her backpack and pulled out a water bottle. "You'll probably find this more to your tastes."

"Thanks," Souju said as he took the water bottle.

"I could use a drink," Naruto said from where he sat. "I'm parched."

Suzumi sighed as she pulled out another water bottle and threw it at Naruto. It bounced off his head and landed in his lap.

"Ow!"

"Souju-san," Suzumi said, "can't you take over things here? If he drinks anymore, he's going to have to use the restroom again. I don't really like having to watch him while he relieves himself…"

Souju couldn't help himself to a smile. "You'll have to get used to it," he said. "I'm supposed to relay some information to Tsubame-san over where Hyuuga-san is, so I can't stay here long. I'm sure you can watch one person who's tied up by yourself."

"Ugh…"

"Hey, can someone open this for me?" Naruto said. "In case you guys haven't noticed, I can't really use my hands right now."

Getting up, Suzumi walked over to Naruto and opened the water bottle with one quick twist. "Here," she said, lifting it to his lips. She dribbled it into his mouth in small amounts so he wouldn't choke.

"Already have her waiting on you, huh, Naruto-san?" Souju remarked. "You move fast despite being a prisoner, don't you? Have you kissed yet?"

Naruto choked on the water. "Gah! Wha-What the heck are you saying, Souju!"

Suzumi rolled her eyes as she got up and went back to where she sat before. "Ignore him. We're like what, eight? He's just hitting puberty so that kind of stuff is probably all he thinks about right now."

"Right, and the atmosphere you two create has nothing to do with it," said Souju. Before either of the two could retort, Souju turned to leave. "Well, I've gotta go. I'll leave you two alone to do whatever."

"H-Hey!" Naruto yelled, but Souju disappeared.

"I told you to ignore him, didn't I? He's been weird recently. One of his friends disappeared or something."

"Disappeared?"

Suzumi shrugged. "Haven't had the chance to really ask, what with your situation and all."

"…My situation, huh?" Naruto sat quietly for a few moments. Then, he said, "Hey, I know you can't tell me where Reimi is, but can you at least tell me how she's doing? Like is she hurt or anything."

"She's fine last I saw," Suzumi said, sipping from her cup. "Kept trying to escape for a bit until it got obvious that there was no way she was getting away. Really stubborn, that one. Never did figure out where she kept getting those weapons from…"

"Heh, so she's doing okay then?"

"I suppose you could say that. Tsubame-san has taken to keeping a close eye on her in case she decides to try to escape again, so she's under pretty tight watch. I can't imagine it's very comfortable."

"Kiriko-sensei, is it…" For a moment, Naruto imagined how it would feel like to have the sword mistresses attention on you for an extended period of time. The blonde haired boy shivered. "I hope she's okay…"

"She'll stay safe for now. The thing you really have to worry about it when we get to Konoha. Both of you are being treated as suspected spies right now; no matter how implausible someone as stupid as you being a spy is."

"H-Hey…"

"Anyways, we'll arrive in Konoha in another day's worth of travel, so you should get ready. They've probably already decided what they're going to do with you guys."

"Konoha… huh?"

Naruto sat silently, deep in thought. Going to Konoha likely meant interrogation by Konoha's interrogation masters. And considering that the usual method of dealing with spies was execution, Naruto wasn't sure going to Konoha was safe at all. His eyes slid over to Suzumi, who was still sipping her drink quietly.

"Hey," he said after a while.

"Hmm?"

"What do you think will happen when we get to Konoha?"

Suzumi frowned into her drink. It was almost empty. "I don't know," she answered after a pause. "It'd be easy to tell you that everything will be fine, but I'm not sure if that'd be the truth. Spies aren't looked upon kindly in Konoha – even just suspected spies – and I doubt you'll get any preferential treatment. Especially since you've got that demon inside of you."

"That's true, isn't it…"

Naruto said nothing for a few minutes, before speaking again. "Hey, Suzumi, I have a favor to-"

He was interrupted by his sudden realization that Kiriko had somehow appeared a few feet to his left without his noticing. His first reaction was to increase his distance from her, but the rope binding him to the tree caused him to bang his head against the hard bark.

"Ugh, my head…"

"Tsubame-san," Suzumi said, acknowledging the woman's unexpected appearance. "What are you doing here?"

"…Time to leave…"

"Already?" Suzumi finished drinking from her cup, recapped her thermos, and put it back into her backpack. "Okay, I got it."

Kiriko nodded, her gaze sliding from Suzumi to Naruto where it lingered for a brief moment. Then, without warning, she disappeared from sight without any of the usual puffs of smoke that accompanied such feats.

"Pure speed, huh?" Suzumi said as she stood. "I don't think we ever did get to see how strong she actually is, even though we trained with her everyday."

"That was training?" Naruto said while wincing, his head still hurting from its impact with the tree. "I was too busy trying to stay alive to notice."

"She really doesn't know the definition of holding back," Suzumi said, brushing dirt off her clothing. "Well, I suppose we should get going. Wouldn't want to keep them waiting."

"Just a quick question," Naruto said as Suzumi started untying his ropes.

"What is it?"

"You'd definitely be against helping me run away, right?"

Suzumi frowned. "That would be treason. Not to mention nigh impossible with the number of high level ninja around us."

"I thought it'd be something like that," Naruto said. "Sorry, then."

"Sorry? Why are you- Ah!"

The rock Naruto had lifted into the air with his chakra while no one had been paying attention dropped heavily onto Suzumi's head. The girl fell to the ground in an unconscious heap.

Naruto stood, freeing himself from the rope that Suzumi had just finished untying. "Like I said, sorry. This will probably get you into trouble, but I've gotta at least try to get away." Taking one of Suzumi's kunai from her bag, Naruto used it to cut the rope binding his wrists and ankles. "Now then, I've gotta find Reimi."

Saying that, Naruto took off into the trees, disappearing into the thick foliage.

A few moments later, Suzumi opened her eyes, shifting onto her knees. "He didn't have to do it so hard," she muttered as she rubbed her head. "It's not like I'm against his escape or anything."

After the pain subsided a bit, she stood up. "Well, I suppose I should make sure no one notices that he's gone missing." She unzipped her backpack and made a series of hand seals.

"Kami Bunshin no jutsu!"

Paper flew out of her backpack and formed a facsimile form of a human form, before it changed again into a doppelganger of herself.

"Hello, Suzumi-sama! It's been a while, hasn't it! I'm happy to see you again!"

Suzumi nodded. "I suppose it's good to see you too. Right now, though, I need you to do something for me."

"What is it, Suzumi-sama?" the paper clone said with a smile on her face.

"I need you to pretend to be Naruto-kun for a while."

The paper clone's smile froze. "Y-You don't mean… Uzumaki Naruto, do you?"

Suzumi nodded. "It won't hold up under close scrutiny, but as long as you keep a low profile, we should be able to get away with it.

"B-But that's a guy! That's a male person!" the paper clone wailed. "I can't change my gender!"

"You don't have a gender to begin with," Suzumi muttered. "Look, I'll summon you the next time there's a festival, okay? You can watch the fireworks you like so much."

"Fireworks?" the paper clone's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Suzumi-sama! I adore fireworks!" In an instant, the paper clone altered its appearance into that of Naruto's. The paper clone took a moment to inspect itself. "What do you think, Suzumi-sama?"

"It's fine," Suzumi said. "Now, let's get you tied up."

"B-B-B-Bondage, Suzumi-sama? Kyaaaaa, I didn't know you were into that!"

Suzumi fought the urge to hit the paper clone. "You…" She shook her head. "Somehow, I think this is going to be a more tedious task than I had though…"

**LineSkipHere**

At one of the entrances to Konoha, one of the gate guards yawned. He was bored, not to mention tired. He paused mid-yawn as someone nudged him in the side. "Huh?"

The other gate guard that was on duty pointed into the distance where the silhouette of a group of people was visible. "Look."

The first gate guard gazed as far as he could see. "Looks like ANBU Squad 13. Hey, go contact the Hyuuga. They'll want to know."

"Understood."

The other gate guard disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the first gate guard to wait as the group of ninja approached. When they were close, he raised his hand and they came to a halt. One of the ninja came forward.

"Nara Shikaku of ANBU Squad 13."

The gate guard nodded, and then glanced behind Shikaku. "And those people?" he asked, gesturing towards the people in ropes behind Shikaku.

"Suspected spies," Shikaku said. He gestured at Shiro who was being carried on a stretcher. "More importantly, we've got an injured person. The Hyuuga wanted to be informed when he arrived."

"Consider us informed then," said a man as he arrived at the gate, his white eyes identifying him as a Hyuuga. He moved with a noble air, each step seemingly measured and calculated. Two more Hyuuga ninja arrived a few seconds later, both of them equally as stiff looking as the first Hyuuga.

"Hyuuga-sama," the gate guard greeted with a bow.

The Hyuuga man peered down at the injured boy, staring. Then, he sneered. "Pity," he said emotionlessly. He gestured with a nod at the other two Hyuuga. "Take him."

As the other two Hyuuga took hold of Shiro's stretcher, the first Hyuuga glared down at one of the bound prisoners.

"Uzumaki Naruto, is it?"

The bound Naruto glared up at the Hyuuga, but said nothing.

"Fitting, for a piece of trash like you," the Hyuuga said. His eyes narrowed and he leaned his head backwards just in time to avoid the kunai that came flying at him. Snatching it from the air as it passed, he glanced in the direction it came from, and saw the other prisoner had somehow gotten loose from her bounds.

"…don't speak ill of Naruto…!"

Shuriken appeared in her hands, and she made to attack the Hyuuga man again. Before she could do anything more though, she was forced to the ground.

"Stop it, Reimi-san! You're just making things worse!" said Suzumi as she forced the struggling girl into a kneeling position.

"Kamino-san," the Hyuuga said, "who is this rude person?"

"Someone who's beneath the notice of someone like you," said someone from behind the Hyuuga. The Hyuuga glanced behind him and scowled.

"An Uchiha."

"And you're a Hyuuga," Souju said.

The two stood unmoving for several moments, both of them not backing down an inch. Their glaring was interrupted by Shikaku, who moved to stand between them.

"My apologies, Hyuuga-sama, but we need to report to the Hokage, so we cannot spend anymore time here."

The Hyuuga frowned, but nodded. Turning his attention to Reimi, he glared. "I don't know why you're protecting someone like Uzumaki Naruto, but I suppose it doesn't matter." He glanced at the kunai that he had plucked out of the air previously. "This is yours? I suppose I should return it to you."

Before anyone could react, the Hyuuga man threw the kunai with deadly accuracy at Reimi. It flew into Reimi, causing her to pitch forward.

Suzumi's eyes widened in surprise. "Re-Reimi-san!"

"Hyuuga-sama!" the gate guard cried out in dismay. "She was a prisoner! You don't have the right to just kill her!"

The Hyuuga sneered. "She attacked me. I'm well within my rights to defend myself."

"You went too far," Shikaku said. "Or at least, that's what I'd say, except you seem to have missed your mark." Shikaku gestured towards Reimi, who was straightening back up, unharmed.

The Hyuuga narrowed his eyes. "I didn't miss," he stated.

"Looks like your vaunted Hyuuga eyes can't see past your own pride," Souju said, smirking.

Stiffening, the Hyuuga sent one last look at Reimi before turning around. "I have matters that require me to be elsewhere," he said. "I shall take my leave now."

When the Hyuuga had left, the gate guard glanced at Reimi. "I'm pretty sure he didn't miss," he said.

"He didn't," Souju said. "But we'll just say he did for conveniences sake. Now, will you let us in?"

The gate guard glanced at Reimi, who Suzumi had placed back into her binds, and then at Shikaku, who yawned and looked on expectantly, before he heaved a sigh and nodded. "Go on through," the gate guard said.

As the assembly of ninja made their way through the Konoha gates, Kiriko stayed back a bit. She glanced into the trees behind her, her eyes narrowing as she seemed to focus on something unseen. After a few moments of staring, Kiriko glanced back at the disappearing figures of Souju, Shikaku, and the others, her eyes lingering on Suzumi in particular.

Kiriko frowned.

"…I see."

"So you noticed? What are you going to do about it?" asked the little girl from behind her.

Kiriko pursed her lips. Then, without another word, vanished into thin air.

**LineSkipHere**

Naruto watched from his place in the tree tops as Suzumi and the others approached the gate to Konoha. He had wanted to rescue Reimi before she was taken to Konoha, but it had been impossible to get close enough to even try. Konoha ANBU truly were skilled, and he had been forced to keep far behind them so that they wouldn't notice his presence.

"Still, what's with Suzumi?" he mumbled aloud.

He had expected her to alert the others to his escape as soon as she had awoken. But when he had next seen her, he was surprised to see her with a clone of him in tow. He didn't know whether she was helping him, or setting a trap for him. But it didn't matter either way, as approaching would be way too risky.

"I wish I knew what she was thinking though…"

A group of Hyuuga arriving caught his attention and he moved so he would be harder to notice. Their Byakugan was something he wanted to avoid, as there was no way he could escape its detection if the Hyuuga chose to use it. They were apparently there to take Shiro away, something he noticed they did with distinct indifference.

"Don't they care about him? Or are they so full of themselves that having one of their own injured doesn't even phase them?"

One Hyuuga stayed behind, and he must have said something that provoked Reimi, as she reacted negatively and slid out of the ropes tying her to attack him. She threw a kunai that the surprised Hyuuga only barely dodged.

"That idiot…" Naruto muttered. "That'll just make him…"

The Hyuuga flung the kunai back at Reimi.

Naruto froze, his eyes widening as the kunai went into Reimi.

"Reimi!"

He had almost jumped from his hiding place to rush to Reimi when he noticed that she was still breathing. Upon further examination, he realized that she was physically unhurt. Naruto let out a sigh of relief, before remembering himself and returning to his hiding spot.

"That was close," he muttered. "Too close. I can't risk something like that happening again."

The Hyuuga had left now, and the rest of the ninja were starting to head inside. Naruto frowned.

"How do I get inside without being seen?" he wondered aloud. "There are only so many entrances, and they're all guarded by ninja. And who knows what other types of defenses they have in place."

Naruto was fairly certain he could find his way about Konoha without being caught once he was inside. He had spent years within it after all, avoiding unruly citizens and angry ninja. He knew its layout almost as well as Reimi knew it. But all of that knowledge was useless if he couldn't even get in undetected.

"Damnit," Naruto muttered as he lost sight of Reimi. It was then that he noticed that not all of the ninja had entered Konoha yet. Kiriko stood just outside of the gates, her gaze leveled in his direction.

_No… she's not just looking towards me… she's looking right at me!_

In the instant it took Naruto to realize this, Kiriko disappeared. Naruto immediately started to move, trying to get away, but he was too slow. A strong tug on the back of his shirt was all the warning he got before he was pulled through the air into. The suddenness of the action forced the air from his lungs, and for a brief moment he was unable to breath. Then, with a rude roughness, he was deposited at the base of a tree.

"Gah!" Naruto gasped for air as he scrambled to his feet. "What the heck- Kiriko-sensei?!"

Kiriko stood imposingly before him, looking as unaffected as always. Naruto started to move to the side a bit, but with a sudden flash of metal, one of her swords stood in his way.

"Shit," Naruto cursed, gritting his teeth. "I didn't expect to be caught so quickly." He paused, looking up at Kiriko. She was staring off in another direction, her attention elsewhere. "Er, that's what you're here for, right?"

He waited a while for Kiriko to answer, but she remained focused on something else. Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his position, forced by the edge of Kiriko's sword to stay still.

Finally, after staying motionless for several minutes, Kiriko turned to Naruto.

"…You are leaving Konoha…"

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

"…You are leaving Konoha…" repeated Kiriko.

"Uh, okay?" Naruto paused. "Why exactly am I leaving Konoha?"

"…Dangerous…"

It took Naruto a moment to figure out what Kiriko was saying. "You're saying it's dangerous for me back in Konoha, so I should leave, right?"

Kiriko paused, and then nodded.

"Sorry, no can do."

Kiriko knitted her brows together and frowned in a rare display of emotion. "…Why…?"

"I can't leave Reimi behind. I _won't_ leave Reimi behind," Naruto said resolutely. "I'm going into Konoha and rescuing her."

"…Impossible…"

"Maybe," Naruto acknowledged, "but I won't know until I try. And like I said, I won't leave without her. No matter what."

Kiriko continued to stand motionless for another few minutes, before withdrawing her sword slowly.

"You're letting me go?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"…No…"

"Huh? H-H-Hey!"

Kiriko picked Naruto up by the back of his shirt again before taking off into the trees. Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but got a mouthful of leaves in his face. Spitting the leaves from his mouth, he tried again.

"Hey! K-Kiriko-sensei! Where are you taking me! I'm not leaving without Reimi! Lemme go! I-!"

"…Konoha…" Kiriko said in her usual monotone voice.

"What?" Naruto managed to say before he was struck by another passing branch. "Watch it with the trees, will you?"

"…Into Konoha…"

Naruto gaped at Kiriko in surprise. "You… You're helping me?"

Continuing to jump from tree branch to tree branch, Kiriko gave a small nod that was almost imperceptible.

"Thanks," Naruto said. Then he frowned. "How are you getting me into Konoha? It's not like we can just walk into Konoha or something." When Kiriko didn't answer, Naruto started to grow worried. "H-Hey, you do have a plan, right? Right?"

Konoha's walls came into view once again, and Naruto really started to worry. He yelled at Kiriko, trying to get a response from her, but she didn't respond at all. And when they neared Konoha, he was forced into silence for fear of being heard by Konoha's guards.

_I guess I have to trust in her, then…_ Naruto though. He glanced at the eccentric woman. She was strong, yes, and she was most definitely an excellent ninja. But he had his own doubts about her sanity. _Ugh… I don't have a good feeling about this._

Suddenly, right as Kiriko neared the wall, she picked up her speed. With one hand, she drew the longest of her swords and raised it above her head. Naruto could feel chakra being pumped up her arm, into the sword. A thin sheen of blue became visible on the sword's edge, becoming increasingly brighter as more chakra was channeled into the sword. Kiriko took a final step towards the wall, and narrowed her eyes in concentration.

"…Inmetsu no Ken…"

Kiriko's sword flashed brightly, leaving a trail of blue in its wake as she swung it downwards. A high pitched sound pierced through the air, seeming to tear through the very fabric of reality. Then, a thin line appeared in the wall where she cut, before the area around it started to crumble outwardly. Bits and pieces of the wall fell to the ground, until what was left in its wake was a large hole in the wall.

Naruto stared at the hole as he was set down onto the ground. "You do know that what you just did got the attention of half of every ANBU within hearing distance, right?"

Kiriko glanced to the side, and nodded at something. "…I will stay…" she said.

"Uh…" Naruto glanced at Kiriko, and then back at the wall. "I guess that means I'll be going then." Naruto turned to leave, but stopped to say one last thing to Kiriko. "Thanks. I owe you."

Then, before the ANBU could arrive, he disappeared into Konoha. Moments later, a group of cloaked ninja landed around Kiriko, surrounding her on all sides. Slowly, she sheathed her weapon, watching the ninja around her with unfeeling eyes.

"Ugh, it's Tsubame Kiriko again," the lead ANBU said as he lowered his weapon. "It's been a while since she's done something like this, so I thought she'd gotten over it, but…"

"Tsubame Kiriko?" one of the newer ANBU questioned. "Who is she, Senpai?"

"She's crazy," the first ANBU said. "No idea how she got accepted as a ninja. She was in a mental institute for a while. I heard she got a big assignment a week or so ago, so I guess the stress made her crack again."

One of the other ANBU eyed Kiriko warily. "Shouldn't we get her back to the mental institute then? I mean, insane people are really dangerous."

The lead ANBU nodded. "Careful though. She's not just insane, she's insanely powerful."

"Understood."

Kiriko watched as several of the ANBU disappeared with incredible speed. She knew they were after her, but she didn't resist. Instead, she glanced at the hole where Naruto had entered Konoha.

_…Good luck, Naruto._

In the next moment, she felt a heavy blow to the base of her neck and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

**LineSkipHere**

The Hokage frowned as Naruto and Reimi were brought before him. His eyes focused on Naruto, who visibly became nervous at the attention. Behind Naruto, Suzumi also began to look uncomfortable.

"Shikaku-san, you did not notice?" the Hokage asked as the older ANBU entered the room.

Shikaku looked confused. "Notice what?"

The Hokage's frown deepened as he turned his attention to Souju, who immediately stiffened. "You, at least, should have noticed with your Sharingan."

Suzumi glanced at Souju in surprise. "You knew?!"

"Uh…" The Uchiha boy scratched the back of his head nervously

Reimi looked around, perplexed by the conversation she didn't understand. She looked to Naruto for an explanation, only to become further confused by the strange look on his face.

"…Naruto…?"

The Hokage let out a sigh. "I see," he said. "Shikaku-san, you may leave."

"Hokage-sama…?"

"It's fine," the Hokage said. "I just wish to have a private conversation."

"…Understood."

"Souju-san, you may leave as well."

Souju looked startled. "Huh? But I…?"

"I'll have words with you later. But for now, my business is with Suzumi-san here."

Looking slightly troubled, Souju followed Shikaku out of the room.

When the door shut, the Hokage turned his formidable gaze to the now extremely tense Suzumi. "This is your doing, isn't it?"

"Suzumi-sama…" Naruto whined, backing away from the Hokage.

"...Na…ruto…?" Reimi uttered while staring at Naruto, trying to figure out what was going on.

Suzumi took a step backwards involuntarily. "I suppose it was pushing it to expect to trick the Hokage of all people," she said, barely keeping her voice from trembling. "That's enough. You can drop the disguise now."

Naruto startled at the command, the tense atmosphere affecting him. "Uh, right!"

"…what are you talking-?!" Reimi froze mid-sentence as "Naruto" changed into Suzumi's image. "…what… what is going on…?" Reimi asked, feeling her mouth going dry.

"Suzumi-san here seems to have taken it upon herself to help young Naruto by creating a high level clone to take his place," the Hokage said. "And it seems Souju-san decided to not tell anyone of this, even though he noticed."

"Ahaha… sorry," said Suzumi's paper clone. Then, without any warning, the paper clone dispelled itself, turning back into paper.

"Coward…" Suzumi muttered under her breath.

"…where's Naruto…?" Reimi asked with a hint of panic in her voice, staring at the spot the paper clone had occupied only moments before.

"That is what I would like to know," the Hokage said sternly to Suzumi. "Please, tell us."

"He's…" Suzumi started to say, but trailed off.

"…Suzumi…" Reimi prompted, an odd glint in her eyes.

Suzumi took a breath, and then said, "I'm afraid I cannot help you in that regard. I have no idea where he is."

"And that is the truth?" the Hokage pressed.

"He escaped from me," Suzumi said. "All I did was make sure no one noticed his absence."

"You let him escape, you mean."

Suzumi didn't answer.

"Would you care to explain the reasons behind your actions?"

"I… I didn't want him to get into any more trouble," Suzumi muttered.

"I see."

The Hokage closed his eyes, a severe look on his face. Then, with a sigh, he opened them.

"Whatever the reasons; whatever the circumstances; in the end, your actions constitute treason."

Suzumi looked positively sick. Treason was a heavy crime, one that carried with it an even heavier punishment.

"However, I do not think you meant any harm by your actions, as poorly thought out as they were. You only acted in what you thought were the best interests of your teammate and friend. And that is a quality I do not wish to discourage in any way. So, I shall not punish you for your actions."

Suzumi got a hopeful look on her face. "Then that means…!"

"I'm sure, however, that the punishment your grandfather decides you deserve will suffice."

Suzumi paled.

"For now, though, returning Naruto to where he belongs is my first priority. There are too many people after him for him to be out by himself," the Hokage said. "Your grandfather will have to wait."

"What are you talking about?" Suzumi asked, looking both apprehensive and relieved at the same time.

The Hokage smiled softly at them, looking slightly apologetic as he did so. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to involve you in a minor operation."

"A minor operation…?"

The Hokage explained what he meant.

"Why should I ago along with this?" Suzumi asked after a moment.

"It's for his own safety."

"Meaning?"

"I'm afraid that information is too sensitive for me to tell you."

"If it's about the Kyuubi, then I already know," Suzumi said unflinchingly. "It doesn't bother me."

"I'm pleased to hear that," the Hokage said, "Unfortunately, the Kyuubi is only part of the problem."

"And you won't tell me what the rest of the problem is?"

"Regrettably, no."

"Then I refuse," Suzumi said. "As much as I respect you, I'm not putting my friendship with Naruto-kun at risk for reasons you refuse to tell me."

"You don't have a choice in the matter," the Hokage said. "Escort her out of the room," he said.

A pair of ANBU appeared next to Suzumi, taking her by both her arms. They started to take her out of the room, but she pulled free from their grasps.

"I can walk myself," she said angrily, her fists clenched. Pulling herself up to her full height, which wasn't very tall at all, she stalked out of the room, the two ANBU trailing after her.

"Now then," the Hokage said once they had left. He turned his gaze to Reimi. "There's still the matter of you, Reimi-san."

Reimi swallowed as she braced herself for the questions the Hokage was inevitably going to ask her. The trip to Konoha had been uncomfortably quiet, with no one willing to talk to her much, leaving her with a lot of time to think. And in that time, she had come up with a list of questions that she would be asked upon arriving in Konoha. Her list was quite varied, and covered a lot of different possibilities. However, she was still unprepared for the first question that the Hokage asked her.

"Do you love Naruto, Reimi-san?"

Caught off-guard, Reimi could only splutter as she felt her face turn red.

"…e-e-excuse me…?!"

…_wha-wha-what kind of question is that…?!_

"Ah, my apologies," the Hokage said, leaning back into his chair. "I had heard that you existed inside of Naruto for your entire life, so I assumed you had a strong relationship with him."

"…w-well, yes…" Reimi answered.

"Then you do love him."

"…n-no! …I mean, yes… but…"

The Hokage nodded. "I love Naruto as well."

Reimi stared. _…what the fuck…?_

"I love all of Konoha," the Hokage continued. "All of its subjects are mine to protect, and I would gladly lay my life down for any of them."

Reimi gave a small mental sigh of relief. While she had nothing against homoeroticism, she wasn't sure she liked the idea of Naruto being involved with it.

"…that's… commendable…" she offered, unsure of what else to say.

"I think so too," the Hokage said. "I take great pride in my duty. Everyone's safety is something that concerns me very much."

"…I… see…"

"So," the Hokage said, his eyes narrowing as he met Reimi's eyes intensively, "if anyone intends to harm any of those under my protection, I stop them with whatever force necessary."

"…I don't mean Naruto any harm," Reimi said immediately.

"And I want to believe you," the Hokage said. "From what I've heard, you've obviously earned Naruto's trust. If I were forced to have to execute you, it would make him very unhappy. However, I also have to take into account the safety of all of Konoha. And if you truly are a spy, it would be a mistake to just let you go."

"…then I remain a prisoner…?"

"It is lamentable, but yes. The only question is; will you resist?"

Reimi narrowed her eyes. She glanced around the room, calculating her chances of escape. She couldn't see anyone else in the room, but she knew that it was unlikely the Hokage would be left alone without guards. And, that was discounting the sheer fact that the Hokage was an enormously powerful ninja himself.

Even if she could escape, she had no idea where she could escape to. With all of Konoha after her, she'd be forced to leave the village. As someone who had lived in the village her entire life, Reimi doubted her chances of survival on her own in the outside world were very high at all.

And most importantly, she still didn't know where Naruto was. She couldn't leave him behind while she ran off by alone; it just wasn't in her. It was impossible to imagine living without him.

"…fine…" Reimi finally said. "…I won't resist…"

"Good," the Hokage said. "Your cooperation is appreciated."

**LineSkipHere**

On the outskirts of Konoha, a lone girl stood. A strand of her messy, long black hair was blown by the wind into her face, and she frowned as she brushed it back. In her hand, she held a small wooden stick with lengths of folded paper attached to its end. Holding it into the air, she shut her eyes in concentration.

"So this is Konoha…" she murmured. "A village of ninjas. Or perhaps a city would be a more apt description. Interesting."

She paused, lifting a hand to her ear and tilting her head as if listening to something unheard.

"Yes, I know," she said to apparently no one. "I'm to find the source of the emanations and take care of it. It shouldn't take me too long."

Her eyes drifted over to the wall where a group of ninja were gathered around a large hole. They were working to rebuild it, using jutsu to speed up their work.

"The people here use interesting techniques, don't they?" the girl commented. "I wonder if they'll be able to detect me if I attempt to sneak in."

A frown found its way onto her face. "Them? Here?" She sighed. "Well, I suppose help is help. I shouldn't complain too much."

Again, she tilted her head to listen. "No, I'm not going to do anything to attract attention," she said. "Yes, I know to keep my head down. This may be the first time I've gone solo, but I'm not stupid. It'll be an interesting experience."

Her frown deepened. "I know to be careful. You don't need to remind me. I…" she trailed off, her eyes crossing for a brief moment as she focused on something in the distance.

"…No, it's nothing," she said after a few moments. "It's just what I'm sensing, it's weird. The emanations are coming from one source. That much is obvious. But for some reason, it's coming from two locations. Yes, I'm sure. I just checked again."

The girl stood listening for several more moments before she sighed. "Yes, I understand. If that's what you think is best. Yes, of course. I'll contact you when I have more information."

Lowering her hand, the girl sighed. "This just got a lot more complicated," she said. Then, a smile found its way onto her face. "But that's what makes life interesting."

**LineSkipHere**

Naruto was crouched on the rooftop of a tall building, hiding within the shadow the large billboard behind him cast as he spied on the Hokage Tower in front of him. It was night, but the moon was full and the street lights below were bright enough so that he could see. He studied the building intently, looking for a way to get in without being seen. Several ninja exited the building, and Naruto ducked back so that he wouldn't be spotted.

"There's no mistaking it," he muttered to himself. "She's definitely in there… I can feel it. The question is… is it a trap?"

The building was well defended, making infiltrating it a difficult task. ANBU patrolled the tower's perimeter, covering any weaknesses the structure naturally had. Not that it had many to begin with.

"I'm sure Reimi showed me a blue print of how this place was made before," Naruto muttered. "I just wish I paid enough attention to remember any of it."

For a moment, his thoughts went to Kiriko. The last he had seen, she had been taken away by a group of ANBU. He wanted to follow them, but couldn't risk being caught and wasting the chance Kiriko had given him.

"Kiriko-sensei is strong. She'll be fine," Naruto said, trying to reassure himself. Even as he said them though, the words sounded false. "She'll be fine… Huh?"

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a familiar sight, and turned to see Suzumi being lead away by several ANBU. Her backpack was missing, and it looked like all of her equipment had been removed. She didn't look to be putting up a fight, but she definitely not happy with the situation. They took her down the street, disappearing from sight as they turned a corner. Naruto stood and hurried to follow them.

_I don't know what's going on, but Suzumi probably knows where Reimi is. If I can just get her away from those ANBU… I wonder where they're taking her though._

He didn't have to wonder for long, as the ANBU came to a stop on the second floor of an apartment. They said a few words to Suzumi, causing her to frown. Then, with a certain air of someone in a hurry, they forced her one of the rooms and locked the door.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Prisoner…?"

He surveyed the situation for a while. The ANBU stayed right outside the door, their uniforms an obvious sign to any passerby to stay away. They didn't seem on their guard, one of them even pulling out a bright orange book to read.

"I can probably get in without them noticing," Naruto murmured to himself.

Deciding he had waited long enough, Naruto took action. He jumped from building to building until he was on top of the building directly behind the one Suzumi was in. Peering down, he could see a window with iron bars. Suzumi walked past the window and sat down on top of a bed, an unhappy expression still on her face.

Making sure that no one was looking, Naruto made the short hop over to the other building, before lowering himself down to the window. Reaching a hand through the bars, he knocked on the window.

"Hey, Suzumi! Psst! Suzumi!"

Glancing over at the window, Suzumi frowned. She walked over to the window and opened it.

"Suzumi! Are you oka-"

"You shouldn't have come," Suzumi said.

"Yeah, I know it's dangerous. But I kinda have to rescue Reimi and stuff."

Suzumi pursed her lips. "You need to leave. Right now."

"What do you mean? I wanted to ask you where- Ah, crap!" Naruto let go his grip on the roof just in time to avoid being caught by one of the ANBU. As he flipped to the ground, his vision was suddenly blocked by a hand covering his face and he was shoved forcefully headfirst into the nearby wall.

"Naruto-kun!" Suzumi yelled, pulling a strip of paper out of her blouse. Before she could do anything though, a hand clamped around her wrist in an iron grip. She glanced behind her to see an ANBU looking down imposingly.

"Shit!" Naruto cursed as he struggled to get away.

"It's pointless to try," the ANBU holding him said. "Trust me when I say this is for your own good."

"What's so good about you trying to give me a concussion!" Naruto growled. For a moment, his blue eyes seemed to glow brightly, before chakra came off him in a giant wave, forcing the ANBU to let go.

Retreating a short distance away, the ANBU observed the panting Naruto for a few moments. "Impressive," he finally said, "though altogether too exhausting to be used in real combat. I'd venture to guess though, that you've been watching the Hyuuga on your team fight, if your weak imitation of their Kaiten is any indication."

Naruto wiped blood from the side of his lips. "Was that a Hyuuga move? I didn't know. Just copied some people I saw sparring once. First time I used it like that though."

The ANBU was silent for a moment, before he said, "Seems you're some sort of genius on our hands then. Runs in the family, I guess. Unfortunately, we don't have much time to talk. I'm going to take you in, whether you like it or not."

"I'd like to see you try," Naruto said, grinning wildly.

The ANBU disappeared, reappearing behind Naruto. Before the blonde haired boy could turn to meet the attack, the ANBU had already struck with a strong blow to Naruto's neck.

"Good reflexes," the ANBU commented. "Just fast enough to avoid a knockout blow. However…"

In a blur of movement, the ANBU was once again behind Naruto, who was still struggling to regain his balance.

"…you're still much too slow."

"Ugh!"

Naruto raised his arms to block the elbow blow, but his guard wasn't strong enough to absorb the full force of the attack and he was sent staggering backwards.

_This guy… he's the real deal!_ Naruto thought as he barely reacted fast enough to ward off another blow. _I'm barely able to keep up with him, and he's not even going full out!_

A sudden misstep caused Naruto to miss a block, and he was sent flying into the building Suzumi was in. The collision sent Naruto to his knees, coughing blood from his mouth.

"Naruto-kun!" Suzumi yelled again. She turned to glare up at her ANBU captor. "Let me go! He's going to kill Naruto-kun!"

"He won't," the ANBU said.

"How's that not killing him?" Suzumi yelled. "I won't let Naruto-kun die here!"

A deft twist of her shoulder dislocated it, and Suzumi used her new flexibility to flip at an impossible angle and break loose from the ANBU's grip. She immediately turned to flee from the room, but suddenly found herself unable to move.

"What?" she glanced down at her feet to see her shadow unnaturally long. "Kage Shibari no jutsu!" she gasped. "You… Shikaku-san?"

"Sorry," Shikaku said. "Believe me when I say it's better for Uzumaki-san if he doesn't escape."

"Wha… What's that supposed to mean?"

Outside, Naruto was trying to get up, but found that his limbs were being uncooperative. He glanced up behind him to see the ANBU he had been fighting standing there.

"Give up," the ANBU said. "It'll make things easier on all of us."

"Shit," Naruto cursed, coughing up more blood.

Suddenly, both Naruto and the ANBU reacted to a sound. Both of them started to jump away, but it was too late. A strong explosive force blew up the ground where they had been standing, its concussive force sending them hurtling into the ground. Both he and the ANBU were knocked out by the impact.

Inside the building, Suzumi found herself suddenly free, the blast having caught Shikaku off guard when it had blown the wall wide open. She froze for a moment before a determined look came over her face. Jumping down to where Naruto was, she picked him up with her arm that wasn't injured and started dragging him down the street. She winced in pain, the explosion having bruised her some, but didn't stop.

"…I'm going to get into so much trouble for this," she muttered.

As she slowly dragged Naruto away, she could hear the sound of Shikaku and the others starting to stir. She gritted her teeth and picked up her pace. She knew she had little chance of actually getting away, but nevertheless she continued to try. She was so focused on escaping that she didn't notice the persons she stumbled into until it was too late.

"Oof!"

"Ow…"

Suzumi blinked the pain from her eyes and looked at who she had run into. It was a brown haired girl wearing what looked to be a uniform for a convenience store. The girl looked up from where she had fallen, wincing slightly in pain before the girl's eyes widened.

"Ah! Suzumi-san and Naruto-san! Um, it's been a while!" She frowned as she noticed the condition they were in. "Um, are you alright? What happened?"

"No, I… We just…" Suzumi floundered as she tried to place where she had met the girl.

The girl's eyes narrowed. "Um, are you being chased by bad people?"

"Er, something like that," Suzumi said, her eyes shifting to the side.

"Come with me then," the girl said before grabbing Suzumi by her arm and pulling.

"H-Hey! Wait a sec-!"

Suzumi was pulled through a door that she hadn't noticed and into a darkened room. There was a moment where she heard the girl fumbling around for something before the lights turned on.

Looking around, Suzumi could see she was in a living room. It was a normal living room, with couches and sofas and a television. To her side, she could see a photo of the girl and another who looked identical to her aside from a pair of glasses. Staring at the photo, something clicked in Suzumi's mind, and she realized who the girl was.

"You're-!"

Before she could finish her sentence, a knock came at the door. Suzumi immediately froze, unsure of what to do. If the ANBU were there looking for her, there was no way she could escape. Her eyes flicked over to a window, her gut telling her to run. But carrying Naruto, she wouldn't get very far before she was caught.

"Um, I'm sorry," the other girl suddenly spoke, snapping Suzumi from her thoughts, "but could you please hide for a moment?"

She led Suzumi into a small room off to the side, before closing the door. Suzumi looked around the room, frowning as she realized that it was a bedroom with only one entrance. There were no windows or any sort of passageway she could use to escape. Meaning that if the ANBU came in to find her, she was trapped.

"This is kinda bad, isn't it?" she said to herself as she laid Naruto onto the bed.

Through the door she could hear the girl greeting the ANBU. Walking over to the door and pressing her ear to it, Suzumi tried to hear what they were saying.

"We're looking for two young children," the ANBU was saying. "They should've come this way, but their trail disappeared somewhere around here. We were wondering if you had seen them."

"Um, two children?" the girl asked in reply.

"Yes," Suzumi heard the ANBU say, and she imagined he was nodding. "They are wanted in connection to a possible spy, and it's important we take them into our custody as soon as possible."

"No, I'm sorry," the girl said after a moment. "Um, I've been home for a while and I haven't seen or heard anything."

"Is that so." A pause. And then, "We'd like to take a look around inside. Just in case."

Alarmed, Suzumi took a step back, only to accidentally trip and fall. There was a loud thump as she hit the ground, and she froze.

_Oh crap…!_

"What was that sound," the ANBU said. His voice was louder now, and Suzumi could tell he had entered the building.

"Um, I-I'm sure it was nothing!" the girl said, obviously trying to stop the ANBU. It was no use though, and Suzumi heard the ANBU's footsteps growing louder as he approached the room she and Naruto were in.

Then…

"May I ask what's going on here?" a new voice spoke up.

"Ah, Onee-san!" the girl said with obvious relief. "Um, these ANBU are looking for people and…"

"There are only the two of us here," the girl's sister said. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"But…" the ANBU started to protest, before being interrupted.

"Like I said, there are only the two of us here. I will not have an unknown man traipsing around our rooms as he likes because he lost some people. It's not proper. Please leave."

"If I could only check…"

"Now," the girl's sister said authoritatively.

There was a long silence before the ANBU said, "I apologize for the inconvenience. I'm sorry for bothering you."

A moment later, the sound of the ANBU leaving was heard. Suzumi let out her breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in relief.

"Thank god," she muttered. Then the door opened, and she was greeted by two identical faces, differentiated only by the pair of glasses one of them wore.

"This is interesting," the one with glasses said as she glanced at Naruto and Suzumi.

"Um… Sorry, Onee-san… But they looked like they were in trouble so…"

"Lynne-san, Rhea-san," Suzumi greeted, finally placing names to their faces. "It's been a while. It's nice to see you two again."

"Um, it's nice to see you again too," Lynne said brightly.

"I'd ask what was going on," Rhea said, pushing her glasses into place on her nose, "but I doubt I'd get a very honest answer."

"Sorry," Suzumi said.

"No need to apologize," Rhea said. "This is a ninja village after all; this kind of stuff is expected."

"Ugh, where am I?" Naruto said weakly as he awoke.

"And with that, we should leave," Suzumi said. "We shouldn't involve you two more than we have already."

"Suzumi?" Naruto said, staring blearily at the girl. His eyes widened as he saw the other two. "Lynne? Rhea?"

"C'mon," Suzumi said as she helped him to his feet. "There's no time to explain. I got you away from the ANBU, but they could be back any second."

"Are you leaving Konoha?" Rhea asked.

Suzumi nodded. "This guy is. There's no way he can stay after all of his."

"Wait," Naruto said. "I'm not leaving yet."

"Naruto, you can't stay here," Suzumi said. "I've helped as much as I can, but there's nothing I can do if they decide to seriously come after you. You have to get away before they realize you're gone."

"No." Naruto shook his head. "I can't leave without Reimi. I have to rescue her."

Suzumi frowned. "Haven't you gotten into enough trouble already because of her?"

"No more than I get her into," Naruto said. "Besides, she's like a sister to me. More than that, probably. You don't just go leaving family behind."

"Did you say Reimi?" Rhea suddenly spoke, a strange look on her face. "As in the Reimi that comes by every week to check out books?"

Naruto blinked, before remembering. "Oh yeah, you're her friend, aren't you?"

Rhea nodded slowly. "Is she in some sort of trouble?"

"Well, kinda-," Naruto started to answer, but Suzumi interrupted him.

"You really shouldn't ask anymore than that," she said. "Like I said before, we shouldn't get you any more involved."

"Um, we probably shouldn't, Onee-san," Lynne said quietly. "We don't want to attract more attention than we should, so…"

The twin girls' eyes met, and they seemed to communicate something silently. Then Rhea sighed, raising a hand up to her forehead.

"I don't particularly like leaving friends in trouble alone but… You'll take care of it?"

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, of course."

"H-Hey!" Suzumi stammered, trying not to panic. "You're not seriously going to try to save her, are you?"

Naruto shrugged. "I'm gonna save her and show all those people trying to kill me who exactly they're dealing with. That's all there is to it."

"If you try this," Suzumi said, "you're doing it alone. There's no way I'm going to try something that stupid."

"I meant to do it alone anyways. I'll kick their asses and rescue Reimi, easy!"

Suzumi clenched her fists. "It's impossible!"

"Nothing's impossible for me," Naruto said, grinning widely. There was a fierce glint in Naruto's eyes as he said this, and Suzumi found herself suddenly unable to oppose him.

"F-Fine," Suzumi said, crossing her arms and looking away. "If you want to throw away your life, then go ahead. See if I care."

"Thanks," Naruto said, and he turned a smile to Suzumi that caught her by surprise. "I'll be leaving Konoa after this, and this'll probably be the last time I see you. So I just wanted to let you know that you've been a great friend. I'm glad I met you."

He then turned to Lynne and Rhea and said, "Sorry about all this. I'm really not sure how you got involved, but you two helped, right?"

"Ah, yes…"

"I thought so. Thanks."

Then, without another word, he turned and left.

A few moments passed as Suzumi stood silently, staring at the ground. Then, she gritted her teeth and swore. "Stupid idiot! How the heck am I supposed to stay here and do nothing after that? Really!"

Suzumi took off after Naruto, pausing only to say a quick goodbye. Rhea and Lynne watched ass he left, slamming the door behind her in her haste.

"Well," Rhea said, "that was interesting."

"Y-Yeah…"

"It was a good thing you noticed what was going on," Rhea said. "It wouldn't do if he got caught here."

Lynne gave a small nod. "Um, we'll probably have to help him rescue Reimi-san. If we don't…"

Rhea gave a small sigh. "Well, I suppose we must. Let's get moving."

**LineSkipHere**

Souju stared at the ceiling, a frown on his face as he lay on his bed. After being dismissed from the Hokage's office, he had been given a thorough talking to by his superiors, before being suspended for an indefinite amount of time. His career as a ninja was pretty much irreparable at this point, even if they ever decided to allow him back into service. What he had done bordered treason, and a ninja who couldn't be trusted was worthless.

"Well, I guess it works out," he muttered. "There's nothing I can do for Naruto-san and Suzumi-san, and I have other more important matters to see to."

He had gone looking for Shiho a little while before, remembering his promise to meet her after his mission. However, wherever he looked he couldn't find her. Her friends claimed they hadn't seen her for weeks, and her house showed signs of having been empty for about the same amount of time.

Even more troubling, however, was the fact that she was listed as missing in action. When he had asked, no one knew who had filed the report, or even knew anything about it. It was as if it had just appeared one day without any explanation at all.

"Tch, that damned Itachi…" Souju cursed. "This has his fingerprints all over it."

Even though there was no evidence for it, Souju knew Itachi had something to do with Shiho's disappearance. She had had something to tell him, and Souju was willing to bet his life that it was something Itachi didn't want other people knowing. Not to mention Shisui's vanishing was equally as suspicious.

"Goddamnit! I can't do anything about this just laying around!"

Saying that, Souju got off his bed and went to leave his room. As he passed the window though, his eyes caught a glimpse of something. He frowned, recognizing who it was.

"Naruto-san?"

Another shadow followed quickly after Naruto, staying out of sight. Souju narrowed his eyes, a frown coming over his face. He remained motionless for a moment, before grabbing his equipment and rushing out the door.

**LineSkipHere**

The lights flickered slightly in a small, completely white room. The room had scarcely any furniture, only a chair and a bed adorning the otherwise barren space. Both the bed and chair were nailed to the floor in order to prevent them from being used as weapons, and the walls were made from a chakra resistant material that was designed to prevent anyone from entering or escaping.

Reimi lay quietly on the bed, her eyes closed. She wasn't asleep though. She was too worried to be asleep.

"…Naruto… where are you…?"

She had been brought here after her meeting with the Hokage. And though they hadn't treated her poorly – in fact, they treated her quite well for a prisoner – she wanted to leave. She didn't like being trapped, and the walls gave her a strange sensation when she touched them. Moreover, she was starting to feel hungry, having not eaten anything since before she had arrived in Konoha.

"..it should be about time for dinner…" she murmured with her eyes closed. "…I wonder if Naruto is eating well…"

Just then, the door opened and in came a misshapen old man that had obviously seen better days. The way he carried himself suggested that he was used to being in charge, and that he _knew_ he was superior to everyone else. His eyes scanned the room until they fell on Reimi, who had sat up upon his entry.

"…who are you…?" she demanded to know.

The man sneered. "So this is the girl that came out of that Naruto. Not much to look at, are you."

His words instantly put Reimi on her guard, and she got to her feet.

"…I asked who you were…"

"Giving my name to someone like you is a waste," he said, "but I suppose telling you won't hurt. My name is Danzo. You'd do well to remember it."

"…and what is your business with me… Danzo-san…?"

Before she could react, Danzo crossed the distance between them and slapped her across her face, causing her to stagger to the side.

_…when did he…?!_

"Address me with proper respect, girl," Danzo commanded.

"…what…?"

Danzo slapped her again, this time harder. Reimi fell to the floor with a surprised look on her face as she stared up at Danzo.

"It seems you have not been taught manners. Hmph, as expected of trash. Do not forget your honorifics when speaking to those better than you."

It took Reimi a few moments to realize what Danzo wanted from her. She made a face.

"…you…!"

"Oh? You wish to fight, do you?"

Danzo kicked Reimi in the ribs, hard, causing her to collapse to the ground gasping for breath. He continued kicking at her repeatedly until she had been forced across the room.

"If you don't give in, you'll die," Danzo said, sounding as if he were merely talking about the weather.

Coughing blood, Reimi realized what he said was true. She could feel that several of her ribs had been broken, and her abdomen was bruised to the point breathing was difficult. She tried glaring up at Danzo, but found herself quailing under his cold gaze.

"…sorry… Danzo-sama…"

The words tastes dirty on her tongue, but knew that she had little choice other than to obey him if she wanted to live. Danzo was a dangerous person, and she didn't think he'd hesitate to kill her if it came to that.

Danzo nodded, apparently satisfied with her reply. "Now then," he said as he looked indifferently down at Reimi, "I suppose I should start what I came here to do."

Reimi stared at Danzo with incomprehension. Then, without warning, a feeling of immense pressure seemed to crush her very being. Her eyes widened, pupils dilating with fear. Every breath felt labored, and all she could feel was unadulterated fear. She fell over herself as she tried to scramble away from Danzo.

…_this person… he's…!_

"There's no need to be afraid," the Danzo said. But his voice carried none of the reassurance his words did, and his eyes were cold. "I'm just here to talk."

"…t-talk…?" Reimi whispered, continuing to back away from Danzo in fear. She could feel her fear fraying the edges of her mind, and her grip on sanity started to slip.

…_this is… killing intent…?_

"Talk, yes. About your connection with Naruto."

"…n-no… I…"

Reimi stood, her limbs shaking uncontrollably as Danzo's dominating presence was focused upon her.

…_I can't think… I… my mind… it…!_

"I know you claim to have resided within Naruto for a length of time. Is that true?"

"…I.... I…!"

…_this person… he's going to kill me…! I have to run…!_

"And your intentions. What do you seek to gain by being near him?" Danzo continued to probe. "Are you a spy? Are you an enemy of Konoha? Why are you here? Where did you come from?"

"…no… I… I'm not…!"

_No…! I can't run…! He… He's too strong…! …if I run then…!_

Danzo frowned, displeased with Reimi's lack of responses. "We're going to be here a while if you do not answer my questions."

Reimi swallowed. She could feel tears running down her face. Her mouth was dry, and she couldn't form any words. She just stared fearfully at the old man in front of her, instinctively knowing he could erase her existence before she could even think to react.

…_this… this is… I'm… I'm scared…!_

…_Naruto…!_

Just then, the wall blew up, sending dust flying into the room. Reimi was limply thrown across the room. She knew she should be readjusting her balance so she could land, but couldn't find it in herself to do anything. In the moment before she hit the wall though, she felt someone grab her in midair. Reflexively she tried to twist away, but she heard a voice at her ear.

"Hey, stop struggling. I'm trying to rescue you here!"

"…Naruto…?" Reimi said hollowly, her mind barely registering his presence.

"Hang on," Naruto said as he moved her onto his back. "We're getting out of here."

Just as he was about to run, Danzo stepped into his path. The corner of the old man's lips curled upwards in a hideous smirk.

"Uzumaki Naruto… So you've come. How foolish. Now I- What?!"

A flurry of paper flew through the dust and stuck to Danzo. Their appearance belied their chakra increased weight, and Danzo was brought to his knees as he struggled to keep himself up. Danzo gritted his teeth as he narrowed his eyes.

"This technique…!"

"This way, Naruto-kun!" came a voice from the other side of the dust.

"Suzumi?! What are you doing here?"

"Save it for later and hurry up! That's not going to hold him for long!"

Nodding, Naruto hurried after Suzumi and left the building.

A few moments later, Danzo stood, the paper falling off of him having suddenly lost their effect. Scowling at the paper, he spat on it.

"Damned Kamino brat. I'll have words with them after this. But for now, I'll…"

"…just do nothing. I'll have you stay here for a bit."

Danzo's eyes slid to his left where someone was standing, hidden by the dust still remaining in the air.

"You…" His eyes slid to his right. "…and another one."

"Um, I'm sorry, but I think it would be best if you don't resist. Ah, we won't hurt you, so don't worry."

"That unpleasant child's allies, huh?" Danzo lips thinned. "Do you know who I am? You think you can keep me here?"

"Yes, of course," the one on his left said. "Or haven't you noticed? None of your guard's have come yet."

Danzo narrowed his eyes. "Those useless weaklings."

"Um, please don't blame them too much," the person on Danzo's right said. "We caught them by surprise and…"

A sudden kunai cut the speaker off. It was blocked by a sudden barrier of earth.

"Eager to fight, are we?" the figure on Danzo's left commented. "Well, let's get started then, shall we?"

"Yes, Onee-san."

Danzo readied himself as the dust started to die down, tensing as he felt energy swell up on either side of him.

"I see…" he said, drawing the short sword attached to his side. "You two may even entertain me a bit."

The person on Danzo's left smiled. "We'll see who does the entertaining."

**LineSkipHere**

"Shit! I didn't think they'd come after us so fast!"

Naruto raced over rooftops as he ran from his pursuers. He was managing to keep his distance from them, but could tell they were maneuvering him into a trap. Next to him, Suzumi realized the same and pursed her lips.

"We'll have to break through," she said. "If we keep going in this direction, they'll have us cornered."

Naruto nodded. "You should hide somewhere," he said. "I don't think they've seen your face yet."

"And leave you alone like this?" Suzumi scoffed. "You'll get yourself killed without me. Face it, you need me if you want to escape."

Scowling, Naruto reluctantly nodded. "Without Reimi, escaping is gonna be harder than I thought. Damnit, what's wrong with you, Reimi?"

Clinging to his back, Reimi was in a near-comatose state. She was shivering, and her grip on him was tight as if she were afraid to let go.

"What'd they do to you…?"

They landed atop a building and stopped for a moment.

"We're pretty lucky so far," Naruto said. "It doesn't look like a lot of people have noticed us. There are only a few ANBU chasing us."

Suzumi frowned. "We've been really lucky thus far, but don't let your guard down."

"Yeah," Naruto said, nodding. He narrowed his eyes, suddenly looking into the distance. "What the-?"

"What is it, Naruto-kun?" Suzumi asked.

He frowned. "I just felt several of our pursuers disappear."

"Disappear?"

"Maybe…" Naruto shook his head. "No, it must've been my imagination. Anyways, we should run to eastwards. There are less enemies there."

"East? But that's-!"

But Naruto had already ran off, heading eastwards.

"That stupid idiot!"

Suzumi rushed after him, raising her speed to catch up.

"Stop, you idiot!" she yelled.

"Why?" he asked as he continued onwards. "This is the perfect chance to get away!"

"I told you to stop!" Suzumi yelled. "You're heading straight into Hyuuga territory!"

"Hyuuga?" Naruto's eyes widened. "What?! Shit!"

But it was too late. Even as he spoke, he was already in midair, heading right into the Hyuuga compound.

Suzumi was right behind Naruto, landing just in time to see a man swerve around a corner and run into him. Reimi lost her group on Naruto and landed a few feet away. The man struggled for a moment before he shoved Naruto off of him and broke away.

There was a moment where Suzumi wasn't sure what was going on, before she saw the scared, white-eyed girl in the man's arms.

"Kidnapping?"

The man scowled. He was limping slightly, and showed signs of having just come from a fight. A mask hung partially on his face, ripped on one side. Breathing heavily, the man spat on the ground.

"Tch, it's just one after another!"

Naruto looked over to where Reimi had fallen, eyes widening. "Reimi! Shit!"

He ran over to Reimi and checked her over. She had taken a heavy blow to her head, and looked a bit dazed as she looked up at him. It took a moment for her eyes to focus on him, and when they did there was a slight delay before she seemed to realize what was going on.

"…I'm fine…" she breathed out.

Naruto nodded. Then, he whirled around just in time to block a kunai strike. He parried several more before managing to jump away carrying Reimi.

"The heck?!"

"Stay still and die quietly," the kidnapper growled. "I can't afford to leave any witnesses alive!"

Naruto set Reimi down onto the ground, and then turned to the kidnapper and frowned. "I dunno who you are, or what you're doing exactly, but it's obvious you're the bad guy here. Sorry, but I'm having a really bad day, so this might hurt a bit!"

Suzumi sighed.

"Ugh, he's gotten all serious. Why can't he remember we're supposed to be running? We're going to get caught at this rate," Suzumi said as she stepped forward. In the same motion, she drew several kunai and flung them at the man. They were dodged, but the attack left the man unguarded long enough for Naruto to rush in and attack from below.

"Take this!" Naruto yelled, springing up from his crouched position and landing a solid blow to the man's chin.

"Kami Yari no jutsu," Suzumi said, launching paper spears from her backpack in a series of volleys.

Though the man was left unbalanced by Naruto's attack, but he still managed to dodge most of the paper spears. One managed to hit the kidnapper in his shoulder, causing him to grit his teeth and take cover behind a tree.

"Shit! Stupid brats!"

The kidnapper shoved his hand into his equipment pouch and drew a handful of shuriken which he threw all at once. Naruto immediately made a hand seal, calling forth a large amount of chakra which he released all at once, knocking the shuriken from the air.

"Heh, I'm getting better at that," Naruto said, grinning widely. "Put a bit too much into that one though."

A split second later, another paper spear pierced into the man's leg, going clear through the bone and into the ground behind it.

"Gah!" the man gasped as he went to his knees. In the instant while the man was still registering the pain, Naruto attacked with a flying spinning kick that caught the man in the side of the neck.

"Gotcha!"

The man grunted, before he raised a hand to grab Naruto's leg.

"Wha-!?

"You fucking brat! Just go and fucking die!"

Swinging Naruto around powerfully, the kidnapper slammed Naruto into the ground. Before Naruto could even fully register the pain, the kidnapper lifted him up and slammed him down again.

"Bastard!" Naruto growled as he pushed an exorbitant amount of chakra out of his leg, widening the man's fingers enough to twist out of his grasp. Doing so left him unguarded for just long enough that he didn't see the man's punch until it struck him and sent him flying into a wall.

"Naruto!" Suzumi yelled, before she was forced to defend herself from the man.

Naruto managed to climb to his feet, coughing blood. "Shit," he muttered. "Maybe we should've run."

He eyed the man as he regained his breath. "For a guy that's carrying a girl and has all those wounds, he's still freaking strong."

"A bit of help would be appreciated," Suzumi called as she barely kept the man at bay with her paper.

"Guess we've got no choice now!" Naruto said as he launched himself back into the fight.

Naruto came in at the kidnapper, staying low to the ground. The kidnapper was bleeding heavily from the two wounds Suzumi had scored on him, and it must've been affecting him as he wasn't able to react to the Naruto's punch. Pressing his advantage, Naruto struck several more times before grabbing the Hyuuga girl and jumping away.

"Damnit!" the man yelled angrily and reached to grab Naruto. A paper spear came down and pierced his outstretched arm, and he pulled back screaming.

"Sorry," Suzumi said. "But I can't let you do that!"

The kidnapper pulled the paper spear from his arm, gasping in pain. He scowled angrily. "You…!"

Landing a good distance away, Naruto glanced down at the Hyuuga girl in his arms. "You alright?" he asked

"Ah! Um, y-yes…" the Hyuuga girl stammered.

Naruto smiled. "Good," he said, before his head snapped back to the man just in time to see him make the hand seals for a jutsu.

"Raikou Houkou!"

"Shit!" Naruto cursed.

Again he summoned his chakra and tried to use it to protect himself. Lightning flew from the palm of the man's hands and struck Naruto's makeshift barrier. The chakra lasted only for a moment before it collapsed and sent Naruto backwards. Naruto felt himself flung entirely through a tree, and barely managed to land in a roll, all the while holding the girl tightly to his chest.

"Naruto-kun!" Suzumi yelled, transforming the paper shield she had summoned to protect herself from the lightning jutsu into paper spears. She launched them at the kidnapper, forcing him to retreat backwards.

"Ugh," Naruto groaned as he got back up. "Not enough power that time, I guess. Running low on chakra."

He glanced down at the girl still in his arms to make sure she was safe, before setting her to the side.

"Stay there for a bit," he said. "We'll take care of that guy for you."

"Y-Yes…"

Before he could do anything though, a Hyuuga man dressed in white came whirling in, striking the kidnapper dozens of time in the span of a few seconds. Fury was written all over his face, and each movement he made was tightly controlled wrath. The kidnapper didn't have any time to react before he was utterly defeated, falling to the ground with unseeing eyes.

"W-Woah," Naruto murmured. "He's freaking strong…"

"Naruto!" Suzumi whispered fervently as she landed next to him, Reimi's arm hung over her shoulder. "We've got to leave! Now!"

Naruto nodded, before turning to the Hyuuga girl. "You okay?" he asked. At her small, tentative nod, he grinned. "Good. We're leaving then."

Taking a hold of Reimi, Naruto jumped away, Suzumi following a moment after.

The Hyuuga man in white walked over to where the Hyuuga girl was and looked down at her.

"Hinata. Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes, Otou-sama," the girl managed to say. "I-I was saved by… by…" She trailed off, glancing in the direction Naruto had gone in.

"I see," her father said, his eyes narrowing.

An ANBU landed behind him, kneeling onto the ground. "Hiashi-sama, are you alright?"

"You were much too slow," Hiashi said icily. "If he had escaped with my daughter…"

"My apologies, Hiashi-sama," the ANBU said. "There were other matters that came up and-"

"More important than this?" Hiashi sneered. "I suggest you put your priorities in order."

The ANBU bowed his head lower. "Again, my apologies. However, the Hokage has ordered the capture of Uzumaki Naruto. I'm sure how you can see how that would take precedence." The ANBU paused, then asked, "Have you seen the boy? He was last sighted headed in this direction."

Hiashi glanced at his daughter, then back at the ANBU, his lips thinning. "No, I have not seen him," he finally said. "And I won't stand for any ANBU digging around Hyuuga property. If he's here, then the Hyuuga will handle it as we see fit."

"But-!"

"That's enough out of you," Hiashi said. "From today's events, it's clear to me the ANBU cannot be trusted with any serious matters. Leave. We'll send you the body of the kidnapper you were too slow to apprehend once we're done with it."

The ANBU didn't move, staring at the ground. Then, with an obvious air of reluctance he nodded once, and then left in a burst of smoke.

"Otou-sama," Hinata said, one of her small hands coming up to grip her father's white clothing.

Looking down at his daughter, Hiashi frowned. "Let go of me," he said. "You still don't understand the consequences of your weakness."

Hiashi scowled.

"The Hyuuga clan pays its debts, and the debt owed for the saving of a life is high. But to be indebted to that sort of person…"

"O-Otou-sama…?"

"Come. We have other matters to attend to."

Hinata glanced in the direction Naruto and Suzumi had left in before turning to follow after her father.

**LineSkipHere**

"Anyone ever tell you you're heavy, Reimi?" Naruto grumbled as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop. "Seriously, I'm going to have to make you lose some weight after this."

At Reimi's lack of response, Naruto tried again.

"When the heck was the last time you showered, anyways? You're starting to smell a bit, you know."

Reimi stirred slightly, but stayed silent. Naruto glanced back at Reimi out of the corner of his eyes and frowned.

"You okay? You usually don't take my teasing so quietly."

Reimi's eyes shifted to the side, and her grip on Naruto tightened.

"……I'm sorry…"

Naruto's frown deepened.

"Leave her alone," Suzumi said. "Whatever happened didn't leave any lasting wounds on her that I could find, so it's probably the stress of the whole situation getting to her. If she's anything half like you, she'll be back to her own self after a few days."

"I guess… I just wish I knew what that old guy was doing to her. Who was he anyways?"

"Danzo-sama," Suzumi said. "A very powerful elite ninja. If he was there, he was probably interrogating her." Suzumi developed a frown of her own. "Why was he interrogating her? I was sure the Hokage wanted her unharmed…"

Just then, Souju landed right in front of them, causing them to come to an abrupt halt. They eyed each other for a moment, no one saying anything.

"Souju," Naruto finally said. "What are you doing here?"

"You're leaving." It was a statement, not a question.

"You're going to stop me?"

Souju was silent for a moment, before he said, "No, I'm not here to stop you." He glanced at Suzumi. "Are you leaving too?"

Suzumi shook her head. "Why would I leave? I'm just helping Naruto-kun get out. No one's seen me yet – not clearly, I don't think – so I should be fine."

"I see." Souju said nothing for a moment, before he finally sighed. "I suppose I should say my goodbyes then, Naruto-san."

Naruto bowed his head. "I'll get you a souvenir for if we ever run into each other again."

"I'll look forward to it," Souju said with a grin, before his eyes snapped to the distance. "You guys should get going," he said seriously. "They'll be here before long."

"Right," Naruto said. "I'll be off then."

Shifting Reimi into a better position, Naruto carried her away.

"Careful," Suzumi said. "I'll be back as soon as I see Naruto to the border."

Then she took off after Naruto.

Souju watched them until they were out of sight, before his eyes slid to the side where a stoic Itachi was standing.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Souju said. "And for letting them go."

"It did not bother me," Itachi said. "I had no intention of killing them."

"I see…" Souju eyed Itachi carefully. "Well then, let's get to what I came here to do. I've got a few questions I'd like you to answer."

"Questions?" Itachi said, sounding slightly amused. "You are more of a fool than I had thought if you thought it prudent to confront me like this. You might have lived longer had you not done so."

Souju drew a kunai, activating his Sharingan. "Yeah, well, you were following Naruto-san and didn't leave me much of a choice. And don't think I'll go down easy, either. If I make enough of a fuss, ANBU will come and- Agghh!"

Leaping backwards, Souju stared down at the gaping wound in his side.

_What?! But how…?!_

He stared back up at Itachi, who still hadn't moved from his spot. The corner of Souju's lips curled up in a smirk.

"I see…" he said bitterly. "This won't be fun."

**LineSkipHere**

"There's less ANBU here than I thought there would be," Naruto observed.

"There's a big hole in the wall," Suzumi said disbelievingly. "Why the heck is there a hole there?" Suzumi held up a hand as Naruto started to answer. "No, wait, don't answer. I don't think I want to know. Or why you knew there would be a hole here either."

"Anyways," Naruto said, looking slightly annoyed, "if I make a run for it, I can probably get away."

"Too risky." Suzumi shook her head. "Do you really think you can outrun ANBU? Why don't you just have Reimi take you through the wall?"

"She can't," Naruto answered. "We've tried taking living things through before, but it doesn't work. She can only do it with inanimate objects. Besides, she's not in any state to do much right now."

Suzumi glanced over at Reimi, who was still in her halfway-unconscious state.

"I see. Then that means we need a distraction."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "Or kick their asses with a big and flashy jutsu. That would work too."

"Uh, let's stick with my plan…" Suzumi said. "Besides, you can't fight with Reimi on your back, right? Not to mention you're running low on chakra."

"Yeah, I guess," Naruto said, looking a bit disappointed.

"I'll set something off, like a bomb or something. In the instant they're distracted, make a break for the hole. You'll only have a few seconds time frame, so you'll have to be fast."

Naruto nodded. "And what about you?"

"I'll be running away as fast as I possibly can of course," Suzumi said. "I'm not going to stay around after setting off a giant explosion."

"Make sure you stay safe," Naruto said seriously, and then grinned. "Shiro's all injured and stuff, and I'm getting the heck out of here. At least one of us has to get out of this unscratched."

Suzumi closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them again with a smile.

"What do you take me for?" she asked lightheartedly. "I'll be fine. Really, you should be more worried about yourself."

"Heh." Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I guess I'll head over closer to that hole then. I'll be waiting for your distraction."

"Goodluck," Suzumi said.

Naruto leapt off the roof, leaving Suzumi the only one there. A wind blew lightly through Suzumi's hair as she stood silently.

"I guess I'll be the only sane one left," she murmured to herself. "How miserable. Who would've thought my first team would end up like this. All that's left is me and that Tsubame character."

Suzumi remained on the roof for several more moments before she sighed. She brought a hand up to wipe at her eyes.

"Really, what am I doing," she said loudly. "Look at me, crying like this. I have to hurry and set up Naruto's distraction or else he'll be in trouble."

She started to turn around, but something suddenly exploded in the distance.

"What? But I haven't…?"

Looking in the direction the explosion had come from, Suzumi's eyes widened. A determined look came over her face as she took the last of her paper from her backpack.

"That's where Souju-san was," she remembered, and then leapt towards the now burning building.

**LineSkipHere**

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!"

Naruto raced through the forest, ANBU only a few feet behind him. As soon as he had seen the explosion, he had made a dash for the hole. Most of the ANBU had been too busy either gawking at the explosion or moving towards it to even notice him, but one of them had just happened to glance in his direction.

"This really sucks," Naruto complained as he dodged the reaching hand of one of his pursuers. "Crap, Reimi! This would be a really good time to wake up you know!"

"…Naruto…?"

On his back, Reimi stirred slightly, her eyes regaining a bit of their usual light. She glanced around, confused by the scenery racing by. She glanced back and saw the group of ANBU in pursuit, and then back at Naruto.

"…what's going on…?"

"Reimi! You're awake!"

A couple of kunai flew through the air, barely them. Reimi frowned as she looked back at the ANBU again.

"…enemies…?"

Naruto nodded. "For now, yeah. Getting away is most important than beating them though."

"…understood…"

Reimi extended a hand backwards so that her long sleeves were almost trailing on the ground. She watched the ANBU for a moment before she shut her eyes.

One of the ANBU chasing after Naruto widened his eyes as he saw a small orb with a lit string roll onto the ground. The ANBU scrambled to a halt before throwing himself to the side.

BOOM!

The bomb exploded fantastically, flinging the closest of the ANBU into the air. The rest of the ANBU remained unharmed though, and continued after Naruto without any hesitation.

Reimi dropped a couple more bombs.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A small frown appeared on Reimi's face. The ANBU, having learned from her first attack, had easily noticed her bombs and avoided them without harm.

"…they're strong…" she said quietly.

"Try some of the flash bangs," Naruto suggested. "It'll slow them down even if they dodge."

Nodding, Reimi reached her hand out again and allowed a differently colored bomb to drop out.

The ANBU reacted to them as expected, avoiding them by dodging to the side. They were caught unawares by the strong flash of light, and more than a couple of them tripped and fell to the ground.

"That get 'em?" Naruto asked as he focused on running forward.

"…I think so…" Reimi said softly. The ANBU were fading out of view as they continued to run.

"…I don't think they're chasing…"

Reimi descended into a coughing fit suddenly, raising a hand up to her mouth to cover it.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked worriedly as he continued to run.

"…yes…" Reimi managed to say. "…my ribs… they're broken so…"

Naruto scowled. "If we ever come back here, remind me to find the guy that was hurting you. I'll have some things to say to him."

At that moment, without warning, a group of ANBU burst out from the side. Naruto was caught by surprise and was slammed into a tree by an ANBU with a cat mask.

As he recovered and bounded to his feet, he saw Reimi being forced to the ground, a hand shoving her head down. Blood trailed from the corner of her mouth, the impact having been too much for her to bear. The chest area of her kimono began to stain red, blood beginning to pool around her.

For a moment, the world seemed to freeze as Naruto stared.

Then his eyes went crimson.

"Get your hands off Reimi!"

Before he realized what he was doing, Naruto had struck down the ANBU holding Reimi down. He felt his speed and range was far greater than usual, and didn't bother questioning why. All he knew was that they had hurt Reimi, and that he wanted to rip them apart.

_**"Yes… Destroy them… Destroy them before they destroy you…!"**_

"I'll fucking kill you all," Naruto growled softly, clenching his fists.

The ANBU around him seemed to stir at his declaration, and more than a few took a couple steps backwards.

"D-Don't be afraid! We outnumber him!" one of the ANBU yelled.

"Yeah!" another ANBU yelled, "Hey may be the Kyuubi child, but there's no way he can use his powers effectively!"

Naruto glared at the gathered ANBU. Normally, he knew, there was no way he could've taken all of them. But right now, he felt as if he were truly invincible. Everything he saw was tinted with a tinge of red, and he could feel his fury building inside of him.

He focused his attention on the ANBU closest to him, ignoring the sound of the other ANBU arguing. The ANBU was holding a kunai loosely in his hand, and looked to be incredibly angry. Vengeance was written across the ANBU's face, and with each second that past, his face became grimmer.

Finally, the tension in the air became too much for the ANBU to endure, and he threw the kunai with a snap of his wrist. Naruto watched as the kunai flew through the air. It seemed slow to him, enough so that he could dodge it. There was no need to do so, however.

_**"Foolish mortals…!"**_

A lash of crimson chakra flew out and took off the ANBU's head, knocking the kunai aside in the same stroke. The ANBU's headless body slumped to its knees, before toppling onto the ground.

Naruto stared at the chakra with morbid curiosity, wondering where it came from. He followed it with his eyes as it shortened itself, and was vaguely surprised to find it had come from his hand.

"This is… the Kyuubi's power…?" he murmured, half in a daze.

His attack had shocked the other ANBU, and in an instant of mental clarity, they all made up their minds.

As one, they all immediately attacked Naruto. At first, it seemed like their attacks were a disorganized mess. Naruto easily fended them off, the crimson chakra whirling around him in a flurry of motion. Jutsus were brushed aside, projectile weapons knocked to the ground, and none of the ANBU were even able to get close enough to launch physical attacks.

Then, without warning, Naruto felt the force of a sledgehammer slammed into his head.

Stumbling, Naruto whirled around to see the remnants of an A rank jutsu dissipate. Without the crimson chakra protecting him, he would've been dead. Angrily, he started towards the ANBU that had cast it, but suddenly found himself under attack from all sides again.

"I see…" Naruto growled angrily.

Another powerful jutsu collided into his back, and this time NAruto was unable to keep on his feet. Going to one knee, Naruto swung his arm backwards, causing a mass of chakra to collide into several ninja. The damage he caused wasn't enough to be lethal though, and the ninja that had cast the powerful jutsu had easily avoided the attack.

Naruto scowled. At the rate things were going, he wouldn't last. The weaker of the ANBU were barely more than nuisances, but they kept him from going after the stronger ones. And while the stronger ANBU couldn't knock him out with their jutsu, the accumulated effects would eventually be too much for him to handle.

"I need more power…!" Naruto snarled. "This isn't enough… I need more!"

_**"Kukuku… as you wish…!"**_

Crimson chakra spilled out of his body as if in response to his desire. It swarmed about on the forest floor, spreading outwards towards the ANBU. The ANBU wisely backed away from the chakra, wary of its danger.

Unnoticed, the chakra avoided touching Reimi though it pooled around her in what could only be described as an eager manner.

"Hahahahaha!" Naruto laughed insanely. "You who tremble before my might… feel my power as I crush you under my heel!"

_**"Kill them…! Kill them all…! Leave not one of them standing in your wake…!"**_

Honestly, Naruto didn't know what was going on anymore. He knew he wasn't acting himself, but for some reason didn't care. Something deep inside of him hurt, but the pain was quickly pushed out of his mind as the ANBU began to move.

"You believe you can harm me?" Naruto asked as several ANBU started to attack. "Fools! Know your place!"

_**"Die mortals…! Feel my wrath…! Taste my fury…!"**_

A loud sound cracked through the air, and in the next instant scores of ANBU were sent flying into the air by the crimson chakra. Some of them managed to block the initial wave of chakra, but were unable to last more than a couple of seconds. The smarter, more experienced ANBU immediately evaded, putting as much distance between them and Naruto as possible.

Naruto sneered at them. "Foolish mortals… you think you can run from me…?"

_**"Run…! Run…! I shall hunt you down and devour you like prey…!"**_

He advanced on the ANBU, ignoring the occasional attack that slid off the crimson chakra wrapped around him. Tendrils of chakra flicked outwards, attacking ANBU with an almost laughable ease.

Then, all of a sudden, wood burst from the ground around him. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. The crimson chakra rose and tried to defend him, but the wood seemed to absorb it without much difficulty. Before he could do anything, the wood descended on him and forced him to the ground.

"What… What is this?!" Naruto snarled as he tried to break free. The wood tightened around him, preventing his escape.

An ANBU landed in front of him, getting his attention. Naruto could hear the surviving ANBU stir at the arrival of this new ANBU. They seemed to take confidence in his presence, and clearly expected the ANBU to be more than a match for Naruto.

"It seems you have self control issues," the new ANBU said. "Fortunately for you, I can fix that."

"You…! What did you do!"

The ANBU shrugged. "Restrained you, in case you hadn't noticed. Difficult to do without a proper focus, but I can manage when push comes to shove."

Naruto raged against the wood holding him captive, and more crimson chakra started to seep from him. The chakra pressed up against the wood, resisting being absorbed much to the ANBU's consternation.

"Persistent, aren't you?" the ANBU said confidently as he made a hand seal to channel more chakra into his jutsu. Even as he did so though, it was clear he was straining under the pressure of keeping Naruto contained.

"You can't keep me here…" Naruto growled as more of the crimson chakra flowed out of him. Several other ANBU started to move to help their comrade, but the ANBU restraining Naruto held out a halting hand.

"Stop! Don't come any closer! It's too dangerous!" the ANBU yelled through gritted teeth. "I can hold him, but not with any distractions!"

"You think you can hold me…?" Naruto let out a guttural laugh. "Let's see you try…!"

The next few minutes were a silent battle between Naruto and the ANBU, each trying to overpower the other. Naruto summoned more crimson chakra to force back the wood while the ANBU channeled his own chakra into his jutsu to restrain Naruto. Neither could gain a significant advantage over the other as their struggled continued.

"Let go of me…!" Naruto growled out. "You can't keep this up forever…!"

"I don't have to," the ANBU replied, sweat pouring down his brow. "I just have to wait till you pass out!"

The other ANBU watched, unable and unwilling to interfere. Then, a new person appeared.

"Oh, this is interesting," she said as she walked up next to Naruto. "I wonder what kind of technique this is."

Her presence startled everyone, somehow having approached without being noticed by any of the skilled ninja around. She had long black hair, tied with white ribbons around her banes. She was dressed in a combination of a white kimono and a red hakama, and carried a stick with folded paper hanging off the end – a gohei.

An ANBU landed next to her. "My apologies, miko-sama, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Your life may be in grave danger if you linger."

"Miko-sama?" the girl said, tasting the words. "I suppose I must look like a priestess to you. So that's what I look like to people here."

The ANBU frowned, though it went unseen beneath his mask. "Whoever you are then, leave. This place is too dangerous for a civilian to be."

"Ah, but that's what makes life so interesting," the girl said with a smile. "But if you truly wish for me to leave then…"

Before the ANBU could react, a slender hand reached out and pushed him gently in the chest. A pulse of white energy appeared from where her fingers touched him.

"…I'm going to have to make you to sleep for a bit."

The ANBU she touched wavered on his feet for a moment, then simply fell to the ground, out cold.

Turning to Naruto, the girl smiled serenely.

"Hello, Naruto-kun," she greeted. "I've been looking forward to seeing you."

"What are you idiots doing!" the ANBU restraining Naruto yelled at the other ANBU. "Stop her!"

The girl turned her head to see the remaining ANBU leap at her, and she frowned.

"If you all are so intent on getting in my way then I can't afford to hold back."

With her gohei, the girl made a few swift motions in the air, her eyes closed. She seemed oblivious to the oncoming ANBU, even as they readied themselves to attack. One ANBU had nearly reached her, his kunai mere inches from her face, when she suddenly snapped open her eyes and stomped her right foot on the ground. a halo of white energy appeared around her for an instant, and an invisible power forced all the ANBU into the ground.

"What… What is this?" one of the ANBU managed to say as he struggled to free himself from the invisible force.

"Stop it! Whatever you're doing!" the ANBU that had been restraining Naruto yelled. His jutsu had been broken when he had been pressed into the ground, and next to him he could see Naruto climbing to his feet, the crimson chakra pouring from his body. "You don't know what's going on! You're going to get us all killed!"

The girl glanced over at Naruto and her eyes lit up. "How interesting!" she said, delighted. Then she grew serious. "But you're right. It is much too dangerous to leave things as they are now."

Taking out a silver medallion from within her clothing, she brought it to her lips and mumbled a few words. A light shone from the medallion, before a dark energy burst out of it and washed over all the ANBU. When the energy had dissipated, all the ANBU were gone.

"Now then," the girl said as she replaced the medallion back into her clothing. "Time to deal with the problem child."

Naruto observed the girl for a moment. The crimson chakra was once again fully wrapped around him, lashing out randomly. Then he grinned.

"Kukuku… I have to thank you, mortal, for ridding me of those bothersome pests…" he said. "I'll repay you by sparing your life…"

"I see," the girl said. "So this is the source of the emanations. How interesting. I would have never thought such a thing could occur with a child." She glanced at Reimi, who was still lying on the ground. "And for it to have separated like this…"

"What are you talking about…?" Naruto asked, before shaking his head. "No matter… the workings of mortals do not matter to me… I shall take my leave now…"

Naruto started to walk away, but something lifted him up into the air, preventing him from leaving.

"What… What is this?!" Naruto turned his gaze to the girl and glared. "You…! Let me go this instant…!"

"Interesting," the girl said as she walked around Naruto, observing him with bright brown eyes. "So because of the lack of equilibrium, integration is occurring. And at such a fast rate too. I've never seen the like."

Naruto couldn't help by squirm under her examination. "Let me go, mortal…!" he roared. "Let me go and I may yet spare your life…!"

"And he doesn't even realize it," the girl continued. "His speech pattern has obviously been altered, and I very much doubt his thought process is much the same as it was before."

"Let me go, mortal…!" Naruto roared, his canine teeth growing and sharpening. "I'll eat you…! I'll tear your limbs off..! I'll rend your flesh and feast on your bones…!"

The girl sighed. "Well, I suppose I won't be able to get any more information with you like this. Let's see, where did I put that thing…"

She searched herself before pulling out a medallion different than the one she had used before. Examining it, she allowed a satisfied smile onto her face.

"There it is," she said. "If I lost this, he'd get really angry at me. Especially after all the trouble he went through to make it. It's quite an interesting piece of work, you know. Here, why don't you take a look."

She tossed it at Naruto, who grabbed it out of the air. The crimson chakra didn't seem to affect the medallion. He held it closer to his face, examining it for himself.

"What is this insignificant piece of metal for, mortal…?" Naruto demanded to know. "I have no need for mortal coins…!"

He made to throw it back to the girl, but a burst of black energy suddenly flowed from the medallion and climbed up his arm. It seemed to eat the crimson chakra as it spread over his body until he was entirely engulfed by it.

"What… What is this trick…!"

Slowly, Naruto was brought to the ground by the black energy while he writhed on the ground, fighting against it. His movement eventually became less and less until he became motionless. A few moments after, the black energy receded and disappeared along with the medallion, leaving Naruto lying face first on the ground.

"There, now that's much better, isn't it?" the girl said as she flipped him over. She glanced at his face for a moment, then turned her attention to Reimi a few feet away.

"Hmm, a few minor injuries and multiple broken bones," she said as she assessed her condition. "Internal bruising along with multiple bruises and burns. She'll need healing as soon as possible, but she'll be fine."

Standing up, the girl sighed.

"Well, I should take them back so I can perform a proper sealing before they tear open the fabric of reality and whatnot."

The girl traced a pattern in the air with her gohei, and white energy appeared around Naruto and Reimi's bodies as the lifted into the air and floated over to the girl.

"Where… Where are you taking us…?" Naruto groaned, feebly opening his eyes..

The girl glanced back at Naruto. "Oh? You're awake. You have a much hardier constitution than I had thought. Interesting."

"Where…?"

"Don't worry, I'll return you here before long," the girl said. "I just have to make sure you two don't tear that seal again. Whoever made it obviously intended it for one person, but modified it for two. As a result, it became weaker and allowed itself to be torn in two. A power such as the one you have sealed within you is not meant to be split. If left alone, it will run wild, which is not something that I doubt anyone particularly wants. Not to mention the damage it causes to reality."

She saw a look of recognition on Naruto's face. "I see you understand what I'm talking about, if only partially."

Naruto nodded weakly. "Kind of… On my last mission, part of the Kyuubi's power broke free and tried to kill everything. We managed to beat it, but it was dangerous."

"Interesting," the girl said. "You'll have to tell me about it later. For now though, we'll have to be going."

"Who are you anyways?" Naruto wanted to know.

The girl took another medallion out and answered, "You can call me Sumire-sama for now. Anymore than that you'll have to find out on your own."

"Heh, arrogant, aren't you?"

Sumire smiled as she activated the medallion. "For a good reason."

Black energy shot out of the medallion to form a dome around them. It pulsed in place for a moment, before it suddenly shrunk and disappeared, leaving nothing left in its wake.

**LineSkipHere**

Suzumi stared at the wreckage that was before her. The building she had met Souju on was now just a pile of burnt rubble. Fire still burnt around her, Some of the initial buildings having been caught in the initial blast.

"What happened here…?" she asked aloud. "I was only gone for a few moments and…"

She could see several ANBU arriving, using various earth and water jutsu to put out the fires. Suzumi knew she should be helping as well, as fire was a very potentially damaging problem in Konoha where much of everything were largely made of wood. But her attention was captured by the sight of something else.

Walking forward on unsteady legs, Suzumi stared at the sight before her, a look of dread on her face.

"What… What the heck happened here?"

She collapsed to her knees.

"Souju-san… tell me… what happened to you…?"

In front of her was Souju's half burnt corpse. His body was covered with wounds, shards of metal and other such debris. The only readily recognizable part of his body was his face, and even then half his face was burned.

Suzumi started to laugh. It was a hollow sound that was pitiable. Tears rolled down Suzumi's face as she tried to comprehend Souju's death.

A comforting hand settled onto her head, causing her to look up.

"Itachi…-sensei…?"

It had been a while since she had seen him, and not much had changed about the stoic, teenaged boy. He looked down at her, his red Sharingan eyes seeming to look for something in hers. Then, seemingly satisfied, he turned to leave.

"W-Wait!" Suzumi called out. Itachi stopped walking and turned his head to look at her.

"Wait…" Suzumi said again, this time more quietly. "Souju-san… do you know what happened to him?"

Itachi didn't say anything for a moment. Then, "It was a gas leak. The canister exploded. He was caught within the blast radius."

"That… That's it?" Suzumi had a look of disbelief on her face. "S-So simply? Souju-san died to something like that?"

"My condolences," Itachi said before he left, disappearing in a blur.

Suzumi remained seated on the ground, unmoving. Wind blew through the area, and an old man appeared behind her.

"Ojii-sama…" she whispered, sounding like the child that she was.

"Suzumi," her grandfather answered. As if his words opened a dam, Suzumi rushed into his arms and started crying in earnest.

"Masahiro-sama," said an ANBU as he approached. "The report that you-"

Suzumi's grandfather held up a hand and glared at the ANBU. "It can wait," he said irately. "Can you not see that I am busy?"

Cowing under the formidable old man's gaze, the ANBU retreated.

Looking down at his granddaughter, Masahiro hugged her head closer to him and sighed.

"It will all be better tomorrow," he said. "Time heals all wounds."

Suzumi cried harder.

Her grandfather pursed his lips and closed his eyes. "It may seem cruel to do this now, but I have to ask you where Uzumaki Naruto is."

Tensing, Suzumi tried to pull away from her grandfather, but found his grip too tight.

"O-Ojii-sama…?"

"You know what my job entails. What both of my jobs entail. You will answer my question."

Suzumi started to struggle to get away. "L-Let go of me, Ojii-sama!"

"I must stop Naruto from leaving Konoha. His leaving Konoha would make him a missing nin, and his status as a jinchuuriki would have every ninja we have to spare after him. He'd last a week at best."

"You're just going to kill him for leaving?" Suzumi glared up at her grandfather with tear filled eyes. "He didn't do anything wrong! And all any of you ever do is persecute him!"

"Allowing him to live would be far too dangerous for Konoha. If he were to fall into enemy hands, it would be a devastating blow to us. This is the kind of world we live in, us ninja. It's the world you've entered."

"Then… Then I want no part of your world!" Suzumi yelled. Surprised, her grandfather loosened his grip for a moment, allowing Suzumi to escape.

"Suzumi!"

"You know what? I quit! I should have never become a ninja! All of this… All of this death… My friends… Everything… I hate it!"

Masahiro's eyes softened. "Suzumi… you…"

"Naruto-kun's already gone from here," Suzumi said. "And I'm starting to think he's got the right idea."

"If you're thinking of leaving…"

Suzumi shook her head fiercely. "No, I've had enough! I'm leaving! Don't try to stop me!"

She took off, leaving a somber Masahiro behind.

"That kindness… You are really much too similar to your parents for your own good…" Masahiro said quietly.

"Should I retrieve her, Masahiro-sama?" a man inquired from a kneeling position behind him.

Masahiro breathed in, then out. "No, it's fine. Just… follow her and make sure she doesn't get into any trouble."

"Understood."

The man melted away into a pile of paper.

"This turned out to be a mess," Masahiro grumbled. "Not to mention that bastard Danzo is proving more slippery than I thought…"

He sighed.

"I'm going to have some explaining to do. Sarutobi won't be pleased."

**LineSkipHere**

Danzo brushed dust from his clothing, a frown on his face. All around him there were signs of battle, large patches of earth torn asunder and debris lying all over the place.

"Tch, they were more formidable than I thought."

An ANBU blurred into existence in front of ANBU. He took a few moments to survey the situation before looking questioningly to the only person he could see.

"Danzo-sama, what has happened here?"

Danzo frowned. "I detected intruders in this area and engaged them. Unfortunately, they managed to escape."

"I see," the ANBU said. "You are uninjured?"

"I am fine. More importantly, the prisoner that was held here has escaped."

The ANBU nodded. "We are aware of that. They appear to have escaped and have caused quite a commotion. Several ANBU squads are in pursuit, however…"

Danzo sneered. "The quality of ANBU has definitely dropped in recent times. Peace has made Konoha weak."

Stiffening at the barbed comment, the ANBU nevertheless held his tongue.

"If there's nothing else, then I shall take my leave," the ANBU said.

"Yes, do that," Danzo said dismissively. "I'll take care of cleanup in this area."

"If that's what you want, Danzo-sama," the ANBU said, before disappearing, glad to be gone from Danzo's presence.

"Of course that's what I want," Danzo scoffed once he was sure he was once again alone. "I can't risk anyone discovering I came here against the Hokage's orders. Not when he's so intent on becoming my enemy."

**LineSkipHere**

The Hokage let out a sigh. "So he's gone then."

Masahiro nodded. "I have ANBU reports collaborating my granddaughter's information. He seems to have managed to slip past dozens of ANBU squads and evaded pursuit." He smiled wryly. "I can see why that boy was selected for that special ANBU program, he's got guts on top of his skills."

"It's unfortunate he used those skills to leave. He's in much danger just by being outside of Konoha's walls. We must bring him back as soon as possible."

"That may prove difficult," Masahiro said. "He has disappeared without a trace, and the ANBU that were tracking him were found unconscious on the other side of Konoha with no recollection of how they arrived there."

The Hokage frowned thoughtfully. "He must have had help then," he concluded. "Though who could possibly have the ability to do such a thing… Does your granddaughter have any thoughts on the matter?"

Masahiro became visibly nervous. "About that…"

He told the Hokage of Suzumi's departure. The Hokage let out a sigh.

"I see. Your granddaughter."

"I'd… appreciate it if you did not list her as a missing nin," Masahiro said. "I have my own men looking after her, and I'm sure she'll return in time."

The Hokage closed his eyes. "Under normal circumstances, any ninja that has left Konoha without notice becomes a missing nin without fail. However…"

He opened his eyes and watched Masahiro for a few moments.

"…she has never been officially registered as a ninja, thus cannot become a missing nin. She has yet to actually complete ANBU training after all."

Masahiro couldn't help the smile that came to his face. "Thank you…"

"There's no need to thank me," the Hokage said. "After all, I'm merely utilizing that loophole to create a precedent for my own use."

"For Naruto, you mean," Masahiro realized. "You realize the council will never approve. Not after having been given such a perfect chance to get rid of him."

"I will make it happen. I will ensure Naruto still has a place to return when we find him."

Masahiro snorted. "If he ever does."

**LineBreakHere**

A/N:

Spoilers, info, etc. Lots of rambling involved.

Well, that wraps up the first and shortest section of this story. I had planned two more sections afterwards with unwritten time skips between them, but at the very least I've decided to write the first time skip. Which means lots of OC's will be introduced soon. Hopefully that won't turn too many people away. There won't be that much a difference in characters, since most of the characters for the first section won't be appearing much, if at all. Just to make things clearer, there are now four sections planned.

Shiro – As stated before, I ended up dropping his subplot that I had planned. Mostly because I couldn't figure out a way to fit it in nicely. At this point, I'm not even sure I'll have him snap out of his coma again since without his back story, his role after he awakens makes no sense at all. I'm probably going to just drop it altogether, along with Kuro's subplot. The subplot seems rather stupid anyways now that I think of it.

Suzumi – Yeah, she quit. Anyone see that coming? After all that, I kinda felt that she had to snap. She's talented and all that, but she's still human and still has her own breaking point. This won't be the last time she'll appear though, and she'll definitely be making appearances once the third planned section (after first time skip) gets going.

Kiriko – Konoha has got to have a mental institution, considering the prevalent occupation of choice. That's pretty much where she ended up, and will remain for a lengthy amount of time. I'm not sure what reason I'll use yet, but she'll leave the mental institution of her own free will to help Naruto a bit before dying, probably in a fight against Orochimaru or Itachi. Probably Itachi, as then I can have her fight Kisame as well.

Souju – Yes, he's dead. Didn't make it a big scene, as I didn't want to make the subsequent events feel lesser, but yeah. Almost forgot to kill him actually, even though I've planned this for quite some while. In some of my other versions of chapter 4 he has this big fight with Itachi that leads up to his death, which gets blamed on Naruto, but I thought that was a bit weird and opened up the possibility for plot holes depending on what I decide to do later.

Reimi – Danzo scared the crap out of her basically, not to mention gave her quite a beating. She'll be fine for the most part, though her reliance on Naruto will probably increase a bit. After this she'll be back inside of Naruto for most of the time, though she'll be able to go off on her own in a limited form.

Danzo – Naruto's gonna really hate this guy by the time I'm done, though he won't realize it's Danzo until much later. For now, he's just another shady character operating in the background.

Masahiro – Suzumi's grandfather. Yet another person who does stuff in the background. He won't survive past the time skip, so he'll be gone soon. Not sure whether I should have him die of old age or assassination. Maybe I'll just have him trip and fall… That would be a rather ignoble way to go.

Sarutobi – I hate writing this guy, seriously. It's a huge pain in the ass trying not to make him sound like an ass. He's a nice guy at heart, really. He sure seems that way in the manga. But having him give out rather harsh orders, which you never see him to in the manga really puts a damper on his niceness. I'll have to practice writing him more. Or just avoid having him give out orders altogether, since I'm much too fond of making the leader of ninjas act their part…

Lynne – Yay, I gave her some parts! More than I had planned, and I almost made her have too big a part. Kept having to remind myself that she has too little to do with the main plot to develop too much. Not to mention the Naruto-verse already has a stuttering, shy character by the name of Hinata.

Rhea – She got some parts as well. Less trouble with her taking too much of a role, even if she's more assertive than Lynne. Yeah, she talked more, but not to the point she started grandstanding any of the main characters. In one version, she did manage to take up an entire ten page scene where she kicks a lot of ANBU ass. But because I thought that was making her too powerful, I scrapped that and went with her and Lynne helping out in a less overt manner.

Sumire – Character that will never, EVER make another appearance. At least, not that I have planned. Aside from some references from time to time, this will be her only planned appearance. She's a rather busy person after all, and has other things to take care of elsewhere.

Hinata – And she makes her first appearance in my fic. She'll be playing an important part in section three and onwards, so I figured I should introduce her here. Especially since I dropped the Shiro subplot which originally introduces her.

Naruto – And finally, this guy. The main character. Less active than I wanted him to be, but at least not like that one version of chapter four he spent an entire 40 pages unconscious. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that draft; just that I ended up hating it. Of course, it had nothing on that one version where the chapter started in Konoha with Reimi in jail, and Naruto angsting for most of the chapter until Suzumi snapped him out of it. Ugh, agnsty Naruto is rather scary, in various ways. Now that I think of it, making a list of all the different versions of chapter 4 I have would be rather interesting. Some never got past a couple of pages, but had some rather interesting ideas going for them anyways. Meh, probably not.

Well anyways, I'm finally done with this chapter. Now I've just got to work on the next chapter, which I have nothing for except vague ideas in my head since I hadn't planned to write it in the first place. Well, that's it for now.

じゃね！またこんど！


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